Authentication device, authentication method, and recording medium

Abstract

This authentication device comprises: an entrance reading unit that reads, from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag storing a feature amount of a face, the feature amount of the face using an RFID reader installed for reading in the vicinity of an entrance of a facility through which a plurality of persons can pass; an identification unit that identifies the feature amount of the face from each face image of a person imaged by an imaging device installed so as to be capable of imaging persons passing through the entrance; and an authentication unit that authenticates the person passing through the entrance by comparing the feature amount of the face obtained from the captured face image with the read feature amount of the face.

Description

Authentication device, authentication method, and recording medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an authentication device and the like.

[0002] A technique for performing face authentication by comparing facial feature amounts contained in a two-dimensional code with facial feature amounts obtained from a captured face image is known.

[0003] Patent document 1 also describes a method of obtaining facial features corresponding to an identifier received from a wireless tag from a data server, capturing an image of the user, and checking whether the facial features extracted from the captured image data match the obtained facial features to control the open / close state of the gate.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-061030

[0005] Authenticating multiple people can be time-consuming. For example, when authentication is performed using facial features contained in two-dimensional codes, authenticating multiple people requires reading the two-dimensional codes of each person, which takes a very long time.

[0006] An example of an object of the present disclosure is to provide an authentication device or the like that can reduce the effort required for authentication.

[0007] An authentication device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: an entrance reading means for reading facial features from an RFID tag storing the facial features using an RFID reader installed in a readable manner near an entrance to a facility through which multiple people can pass; an identification means for identifying facial features from each face image of a person captured by an imaging device installed in a manner capable of capturing an image of the person passing through the entrance; and an authentication means for authenticating each person passing through the entrance by comparing the facial features identified from the captured face image with the read facial features.

[0008] In one aspect of the present disclosure, an authentication method includes a computer executing the following processes: reading facial features from an RFID tag that stores the facial features using an RFID reader installed near an entrance to a facility through which multiple people can pass; identifying the facial features from each face image of a person captured by an imaging device installed so as to be able to capture an image of the person passing through the entrance; and authenticating each person passing through the entrance by comparing the facial features identified from the captured face image with the read facial features.

[0009] A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the following processes: read facial features from an RFID tag that stores the facial features using an RFID reader installed near an entrance to a facility through which multiple people can pass; identify the facial features from each face image of a person captured by an imaging device installed so as to be able to capture images of the people passing through the entrance; and authenticate each person passing through the entrance by comparing the facial features identified from the captured face image with the read facial features.

[0010] Each program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium.

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to eliminate the hassle of authentication.

[0012] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system including an authentication device. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an authentication device. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of authentication using facial feature amounts read from an RFID tag and facial feature amounts identified from a captured image. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of an authentication device. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system including an authentication device. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an authentication device. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information stored in an RFID tag when an RFID tag is attached to a ticket. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a tag DB when an RFID tag is attached to a ticket. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information stored in an RFID tag when an RFID tag is attached to an employee ID card. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a tag DB when an RFID tag is attached to an employee ID card. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of writing to an RFID tag by an authentication device. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing example 1 of registration of authentication results and control of individual gates. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing example 2 of registration of authentication results and control of individual gates. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of authentication by an authentication device. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of gate control by an authentication device. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer.

[0013] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of an authentication device, an authentication method, a program, and a non-transitory recording medium for recording the program according to the present disclosure will be described in detail. The present embodiments do not limit the disclosed technology.

[0014] First Embodiment A first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system including an authentication device 10. The authentication system 1 includes the authentication device 10, an imaging device 13, an antenna 11, and an RFID reader 12.

[0015] The authentication device 10 is connected to an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) reader via a communication network. The RFID reader 12 is connected to one or more antennas 11. The RFID reader 12 may be installed as appropriate depending on the size of the store and the performance of the RFID reader 12. The antennas 11 and RFID readers 12 are connected using cables. The number of antennas 11 is not particularly limited. FIG. 1 shows multiple antennas 11-1 to 11-n, where n is an integer of 2 or greater. The RFID reader 12 and the antenna 11 may be integrated. Therefore, there may be n RFID readers 12.

[0016] The installation positions of RFID reader 12 and antenna 11 are not particularly limited, but for example, RFID reader 12 is installed so that it can read RFID tags carried by people near an entrance to a facility through which multiple people can pass, using antenna 11. For example, RFID reader 12 and antenna 11 are installed near an entrance to a facility through which multiple people can pass. Furthermore, for example, RFID reader 12 may be installed so that it can read RFID tags carried by people just before the entrance, that is, before they pass through the entrance, using antenna 11.

[0017] For example, the authentication device 10 is connected to one or more imaging devices 13 via a communication network. For example, the authentication device 10 may be able to control the imaging devices 13. The number of imaging devices 13 is not particularly limited.

[0018] The installation position of the imaging device 13 is not particularly limited, but for example, the imaging device 13 is installed so as to be able to capture an image of a person passing through an entrance. The imaging device 13 may also be installed so as to be able to capture an image of a person near an entrance.

[0019] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the authentication device 10. In FIG. 2, the authentication device 10 includes an entrance reading unit 101, an identifying unit 103, and an authenticating unit 105.

[0020] Here, the RFID tag carried by each person stores, for example, facial features and tag identification information.

[0021] The entrance reading unit 101 reads facial features from an RFID tag using an RFID reader 12 installed in a readable manner near an entrance to a facility through which multiple people can pass. The entrance reading unit 101 stores the read facial features in a temporary storage device. If multiple people near the entrance each have an RFID tag that stores their respective facial features, the entrance reading unit 101 reads facial features from each of the multiple RFID tags.

[0022] The identification unit 103 identifies facial features from each face image of a person captured by the imaging device 13 installed so as to be able to capture images of people passing through the entrance. A technology for identifying facial features from a face image may be any existing technology, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The identification unit 103 stores the identified facial features in a temporary storage device. The number of facial features identified by the identification unit 103 is not particularly limited. For example, the orientation of the imaging device 13 may be controllable, and the imaging device 13 may sequentially capture images of people near the entrance. The identification unit 103 may then sequentially identify facial features of people from the captured images.

[0023] Here, for example, the entrance reading unit 101 may use the RFID reader 12 to read facial features of a person from an RFID tag before the person enters the entrance, and the identification unit 103 may identify the facial features identified from an image of the person captured by the imaging device 13 as the person passes through the entrance. This makes it possible to more smoothly authenticate the person passing through the entrance. In this way, the RFID reader 12 may be installed so as to be able to read RFID tags carried by people in the vicinity before passing through the entrance, and the imaging device 13 may be installed so as to be able to capture images of the person passing through the entrance. However, the installation positions of the RFID reader 12 and the imaging device 13 are not particularly limited.

[0024] The authentication unit 105 compares the facial feature amount obtained from the captured facial image with the facial feature amount read from the captured image, thereby authenticating each person. For example, the authentication unit 105 can authenticate each person passing through an entrance.

[0025] For example, when the facial feature amounts identified from the captured facial image match the facial feature amounts read from the RFID tag, the authentication unit 105 deletes the facial feature amounts read from the RFID tag. Note that a match here is sufficient as long as it is a match that allows determination that they are the same person, and is not limited to a perfect match. A mismatch between the facial feature amounts identified from the captured facial image and the read facial feature amounts indicates that it is not possible to determine that they are the same person. Note that a match may be referred to as successful authentication, and a mismatch may be referred to as failed authentication.

[0026] Furthermore, when the facial feature amount identified from the captured facial image matches the facial feature amount read, the authentication unit 105 may delete the facial feature amount identified from the captured facial image. Furthermore, the authentication unit 105 may delete the facial feature amount identified from the captured facial image at a specific timing, such as once a day.

[0027] On the other hand, if the facial feature amount obtained from the captured facial image does not match the facial feature amount read from the RFID tag, the authentication unit 105 deletes the read facial feature amount after a predetermined time has elapsed. The predetermined time is a predetermined time, and is not particularly limited to one minute, for example.

[0028] The authentication unit 105 determines that authentication is successful when the facial feature amounts obtained from the captured facial image match the facial feature amounts read in. Here, for example, if the number of facial feature amounts read in is m and the number of facial feature amounts obtained from the captured image is n, the authentication unit 105 can perform m-to-n authentication.

[0029] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of authentication using facial feature amounts read from an RFID tag and facial feature amounts identified from a captured image. In FIG. 3, three people each have an RFID tag. Each person's RFID tag stores the person's facial feature amounts. The entrance reading unit 101 reads the facial feature amounts from the RFID tag using an RFID reader 12 installed in a readable manner near the entrance of a facility where multiple people can pass. In this way, the facial feature amounts of the three people are read.

[0030] Furthermore, the imaging device 13 captures images of people near the entrance. The identification unit 103 identifies facial features from the facial images of the people captured by the imaging device 13, which is installed so as to be able to capture images of people passing through the entrance. In Fig. 3, facial features of three people are identified.

[0031] The authentication unit 105 compares the facial feature amounts of the three people read from the RFID tags with the facial feature amounts of the three people identified from the image. In Figure 3, each of the facial feature amounts read from the RFID tags matches the facial feature amounts of one of the faces identified from the image, so the authentication unit 105 determines that all three people have been successfully authenticated.

[0032] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the authentication device 10. The entrance reading unit 101 reads facial features from an RFID tag using an RFID reader 12 installed near an entrance of a facility through which multiple people can pass (step S101).

[0033] The identifying unit 103 also identifies facial features from the facial images of people captured by the imaging device 13 installed so as to be able to capture images of people passing through the entrance (step S102).

[0034] The authentication unit 105 then compares the facial feature amount read from the RFID tag with the facial feature amount identified from the facial image, thereby authenticating each person passing through the entrance (step S103). After step S103, the authentication device 10 ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0035] For example, when authentication is performed using facial features contained in a two-dimensional code, the two-dimensional code of each person must be read individually to authenticate multiple people. This makes authentication extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive when using two-dimensional codes. Similarly, when tags are read individually, authentication is also time-consuming because each person must be read individually.

[0036] Therefore, in the first embodiment, the authentication device 10 uses an RFID reader 12 installed near the entrance of a facility through which multiple people can pass to read facial features from an RFID tag that stores the facial features. The authentication device 10 identifies the facial features from each person's facial image captured by an imaging device 13 installed so as to capture images of people passing through the entrance. The authentication device 10 then compares the facial features obtained from the captured facial image with the read facial features to authenticate each person passing through the entrance. This allows the authentication device 10 to simultaneously read RFID tags owned by an unspecified number of people. Therefore, the authentication device 10 can prevent impersonation while reducing the effort required for authentication. For example, this makes it possible to achieve facial authentication of multiple people in a facility where a large number of people gather, such as at a concert.

[0037] Furthermore, if a match is found, the authentication device 10 deletes the facial feature data that was read. This allows the authentication device 10 to avoid managing the facial feature data of each person. Because the authentication device 10 does not store facial feature data, which are biometric information, it is possible to reduce the risk of a person's biometric information being leaked due to theft or loss.

[0038] Furthermore, if there is no match, the authentication device 10 deletes the facial feature data that was read after a predetermined time has elapsed. This allows the authentication device 10 to avoid managing the facial feature data of each person. Because the authentication device 10 does not store facial feature data, which is biometric information, it is possible to reduce the risk of a person's biometric information being leaked due to theft or loss.

[0039] (Second embodiment) A second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the opening and closing of individual gates is controlled based on authentication results. Below, explanations of content that overlaps with the above explanation will be omitted to the extent that the explanation of the second embodiment is not unclear.

[0040] 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of an authentication system 2 including an authentication device 20. The authentication system 2 includes the authentication device 20, an imaging device 23, an antenna 21, an RFID reader / writer 22, a display device 24, an administrator's terminal device 25, a gate 26 equipped with an RFID reader, and a ticket issuing device 27.

[0041] The authentication device 20 is connected to one or more RFID reader / writers 22 via a communication network. The RFID reader / writer 22 is connected to one or more antennas 21. The RFID reader / writer 22 and the antenna 21 may be installed in the same manner as the RFID reader 12 and the antenna 11 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 shows multiple antennas 21-1 to 21-n, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The RFID reader / writer 22 and the antenna 21 may be integrated. Therefore, there may be n RFID reader / writers 22. There may be a gate at the entrance. For example, the RFID reader / writer 22 may be installed so as to be able to read the area in front of the gate at the entrance, and the imaging device 23 may be installed so as to be able to capture images of people passing through the gate at the entrance. The gate at the entrance may be always open. Furthermore, although the RFID reader / writer 2222 is an example in which the RFID reader and the RFID writer are integrated, the RFID reader and the RFID writer may be separate entities.

[0042] For example, the authentication device 20 is connected to one or more imaging devices 23 via a communication network. For example, the authentication device 20 may be able to control the imaging devices 23. The number of imaging devices 23 is not particularly limited. The installation positions of the imaging devices 23 may be the same as those of the imaging devices 23 shown in FIG. 1 .

[0043] For example, the authentication device 20 is connected to one or more display devices 24 via a communication network. The authentication device 20 may be capable of controlling the display devices 24. For example, the display devices 24 are installed so that they can be seen by people near the entrance. In Fig. 5, the display devices 24 are signage, but are not particularly limited to this.

[0044] For example, the authentication device 20 is connected to one or more administrator terminal devices 25 via a communication network. The type of the administrator terminal device 25 is not particularly limited, and may be a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, a tablet device, or the like. Note that the administrator terminal device 25 may be pre-installed with an application program that is capable of transmitting information to the authentication device 20 and outputting information from the authentication device 20. Alternatively, the administrator terminal device 25 may be able to access a website connected to the authentication device 20 and send and receive information to and from the authentication device 20 via the website.

[0045] The authentication device 20 is also connected to one or more gates 26 via a communication network. The gates 26 are equipped with RFID readers. For example, the authentication device 20 can control the opening and closing of the gates 26.

[0046] The authentication device 20 is connected to one or more ticket issuing devices 27 via a communication network. The ticket issuing device 27 is used, for example, when an RFID tag is attached to a ticket. The ticket issuing device 27 includes, for example, an RFID reader / writer 22 and an imaging device 23. As a result, the authentication device 20 writes facial features to the RFID tag via the ticket issuing device 27.

[0047] The devices included in the authentication system are just an example, and some of the devices may not be included.

[0048] 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the authentication device 20. The authentication device 20 includes an entrance reading unit 201, an identification unit 203, an authentication unit 205, a registration unit 207, an output unit 209, an entrance writing unit 211, a gate reading unit 213, a gate control unit 215, a pre-writing unit 217, and a tracking unit 219.

[0049] The entrance reading unit 201 may have, as a basic function, the function of the entrance reading unit 101 shown in Fig. 2. The identification unit 203 may have, as a basic function, the function of the identification unit 103 shown in Fig. 2. The authentication unit 205 may have, as a basic function, the function of the authentication unit 105 shown in Fig. 2.

[0050] The RFID tag stores facial features of the person who owns the RFID tag, and may also store tag identification information for identifying the RFID tag.

[0051] The authentication device 20 may also have a tag DB 2001. The tag DB 2001 is a database for managing RFID tags. The tag DB 2001 may store, for example, tag identification information for identifying an RFID tag in association with information about the tag owner. The tag DB 2001 may also store, for example, tag identification information for identifying an RFID tag in association with authentication results.

[0052] The RFID tag and the tag DB 2001 may also store other information in association with the tag identification information. The other information may vary depending on the application. Here, an example in which an RFID tag is attached to a ticket and an example in which an RFID tag is attached to an identification card such as an employee ID card will be described.

[0053] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information stored in an RFID tag when the RFID tag is attached to a ticket. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a tag DB 2001 when the RFID tag is attached to a ticket. In FIG. 7, the RFID tag stores a tag ID (identifier), facial features, and a seat number. In FIG. 8, the tag DB 2001 stores the tag ID, authentication results, seat numbers, event information, and the like in association with each other. Note that the event information may be common information. The event information may be a date, an event name, or the like. The authentication result may be authentication successful, authentication failed, not authenticated, or the like. In this way, facial features do not need to be managed in a database or the like.

[0054] Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information stored in an RFID tag when the RFID tag is attached to an employee ID card. Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a tag DB 2001 when the RFID tag is attached to an employee ID card. In Fig. 10, the RFID tag stores a tag ID (identifier), facial features, and an employee number. In Fig. 10, the tag DB 2001 stores the tag ID, authentication results, employee number, etc. in association with each other.

[0055] <Writing Facial Feature Amounts into RFID Tag> First, in order to use an RFID tag, it is necessary to store the facial feature amounts of the owner in the RFID tag as a preliminary preparation.

[0056] The identification unit 203 identifies facial features from the captured facial image of the person. Taking the case of purchasing a ticket as an example, the facial image may be captured by the imaging device 23 provided in the ticket issuing device 27 or by the imaging device 23 provided in the user's terminal device, and is not particularly limited.

[0057] Then, the pre-writing unit 217 writes the facial feature amounts identified by the identifying unit 203 into the RFID tag.

[0058] For example, when a user purchases a ticket, an imaging device provided in the ticket issuing device 27 captures a facial image. The ticket issuing device 27 may transmit the captured image to the authentication device 20. The identification unit 203 then identifies facial features from the captured image. The pre-writing unit 217 then writes the facial features to an RFID tag attached to the ticket using the RFID reader / writer 22 provided in the ticket issuing device 27. For example, the pre-writing unit 217 transmits the facial features to the ticket issuing device 27, and the RFID reader / writer 22 provided in the ticket issuing device 27 writes the facial features to the RFID tag attached to the ticket. At this time, the authentication device 20 does not store the facial features.

[0059] For example, when a user purchases a ticket, the user may capture a facial image using an imaging device provided in the user's terminal device. The terminal device may then transmit the captured facial image to the authentication device 20. For example, the identification unit 203 identifies facial features from the captured image. The pre-writing unit 217 then writes the facial features to an RFID tag attached to the ticket using an RFID reader / writer. The ticket may then be sent to the user.

[0060] There are no particular limitations on the device equipped with an imaging device for capturing a facial image for an identification card such as an employee ID card.

[0061] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the authentication device 20 to write data to an RFID tag. The identification unit 203 identifies facial features from a captured facial image (step S201). The pre-writing unit 217 then writes the facial features to the RFID tag (step S202). The authentication device 20 then ends the series of processes shown in FIG. 11.

[0062] <Actual Use Example> Next, an actual use example will be described. First, an example of registering the authentication result in the tag DB 2001 and controlling the gate 26, and an example of writing the authentication result to the RFID tag and controlling the gate 26 will be described.

[0063] <Example of registration of authentication results and control of gate 26> The entrance reading unit 201 uses an RFID reader / writer 22 installed in a readable manner near the entrance of a facility through which multiple people can pass, to read facial features and tag identification information from an RFID tag carried by a person.

[0064] The identification unit 203 identifies facial features from the facial images of each person captured by the imaging device 23 installed so as to be able to capture an image of the person passing through the entrance.

[0065] The authentication unit 205 compares the facial feature amount obtained from the captured facial image with the facial feature amount that has been read, thereby authenticating each person passing through the entrance.

[0066] Next, an example in which the authentication result is registered in the tag DB 2001 will be described.

[0067] The registration unit 207 registers the authentication result in a database that manages RFID tags. The database may be the above-mentioned tag DB 2001. Specifically, for example, the registration unit 207 registers the authentication result in the tag DB 2001 in association with the read tag identification information.

[0068] The gate reader 213 uses an RFID reader installed at the gate 26 to read tag identification information from each RFID tag.

[0069] The gate control unit 215 controls the opening and closing of the gate 26, which is installed in a location other than near the entrance. The gate control unit 215 opens the gate 26 when the authentication result stored in association with the tag identification information in the tag DB 2001 indicates a match, and does not open the gate 26 when the authentication result indicates a mismatch.

[0070] FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram showing Example 1 of registration of authentication results and control of individual gates 26. For example, in FIG. 12A , the RFID tag held by person X stores the tag ID "TG01" and the facial features of person X as tag identification information. In FIG. 12A , the entrance reading unit 201 reads the tag ID "TG01" and the facial features as tag identification information from the RFID tag. The identification unit 203 identifies the facial features from each face image of the person captured by the imaging device 23. The authentication unit 205 then compares the facial features read by the entrance reading unit 201 with the facial features identified by the identification unit 203. Here, the authentication unit 205 determines that the facial features read from the RFID tag identified by the tag ID "TG01" match the facial features identified by the identification unit 203. Then, the registration unit 207 registers "authentication success" as the authentication result in the tag DB 2001 in association with the tag ID "TG01".

[0071] 12A , when person X passes through an individual gate 26, the gate reading unit 213 reads the tag ID "TG01" and facial features as tag identification information from the RFID tag using an RFID reader provided in the individual gate 26. Then, the gate control unit 215 opens the gate 26 because the authentication result stored in the tag DB 2001 in association with the tag ID "TG01" that is the tag identification information indicates successful authentication.

[0072] FIG. 12B is an explanatory diagram showing Example 2 of registration of authentication results and control of individual gates 26. For example, in FIG. 12B , the RFID tag held by person Y stores the tag ID "TG02" and the facial features of person Y as tag identification information. In FIG. 12B , the entrance reading unit 201 reads the tag ID "TG02" and the facial features as tag identification information from the RFID tag. The identification unit 203 identifies the facial features from each face image of the person captured by the imaging device 23. The authentication unit 205 then compares the facial features read by the entrance reading unit 201 with the facial features identified by the identification unit 203. Here, the authentication unit 205 determines that the facial features read from the RFID tag identified by the tag ID "TG02" do not match the facial features identified by the identification unit 203. Then, the registration unit 207 registers "authentication failure" as the authentication result in the tag DB 2001 in association with the tag ID "TG02".

[0073] 12B , when person Y passes through individual gate 26, gate reading unit 213 reads tag ID "TG02" and facial features as tag identification information from the RFID tag using an RFID reader provided in individual gate 26. Then, gate control unit 215 cannot open individual gate 26 because the authentication result stored in tag DB 2001 in association with tag ID "TG02," which is tag identification information, indicates authentication failure.

[0074] The gate control unit 215 may also control the gate 26 according to the position indicated by the seat position information. For example, the gate control unit 215 opens the gate 26 when the position indicated by the seat position information stored in association with the tag identification information in the tag DB 2001 is near the gate 26, and does not open the gate 26 when the position is not near the gate 26. The seat position information may be represented by a seat number, and the method of representation is not particularly limited. Note that a range of seat positions near the gate 26 may be determined in advance for each gate 26. The gate control unit 215 opens the gate 26 when the seat position is within that range, and does not open the gate 26 when the seat position is not within that range. In other words, the gate control unit 215 opens the gate 26 when authentication is successful and the position indicated by the seat position information stored in association with the tag identification information is near the gate 26. On the other hand, the gate control unit 215 does not open the gate 26 when authentication is unsuccessful or when the position indicated by the seat position information stored in association with the tag identification information is not near the gate 26.

[0075] When the gate reading unit 213 reads seat position information such as a seat number along with tag identification information and facial feature amounts from an RFID tag, the gate control unit 215 opens the gate 26 if the position indicated by the read seat position information is near the gate 26, and does not open the gate 26 if it is not near the gate 26. In other words, the gate control unit 215 opens the gate 26 if the authentication is successful and the position indicated by the read seat position information is near the gate 26. On the other hand, the gate control unit 215 does not open the gate 26 if the authentication fails or if the position indicated by the read seat position information is not near the gate 26.

[0076] Although the above example illustrates the gate control unit 215 controlling the opening and closing of the gate 26 based on the seat location, the gate control unit 215 may also control the opening and closing of the gate 26 based on an employee number. For example, an office may be divided into multiple floors or multiple areas. In such cases, the employees who can enter each floor or area may be restricted. For example, the employee numbers that can pass through the gate 26 may be stored in advance in a database or the like. For example, the gate control unit 215 opens the gate 26 if the authentication is successful and the employee number stored in association with the tag identification information in the tag DB 2001 is permitted to pass through the gate 26. For example, the gate control unit 215 does not open the gate 26 if the authentication fails or if the employee number stored in association with the tag identification information in the tag DB 2001 is not permitted to pass through the gate 26.

[0077] For example, when the gate reading unit 213 reads an employee number from an RFID tag along with tag identification information and facial feature amounts, the gate control unit 215 opens the gate 26 if authentication is successful and the read employee number is allowed to pass through the gate 26. For example, the gate control unit 215 does not open the gate 26 if authentication fails or if the read employee number is not allowed to pass through the gate 26.

[0078] <Example of Writing Authentication Results and Controlling Gate 26> An example has been described in which authentication results are registered in the tag DB 2001. Next, an example will be described in which authentication results are written to an RFID tag.

[0079] The entrance reading unit 201, the identifying unit 203, and the authenticating unit 205 may be the same as in the example in which the authentication result is registered in the tag DB 2001, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0080] The entrance writing unit 211 may write the authentication result to an RFID tag via an RFID reader / writer 22 installed near the entrance. At this time, for example, the entrance writing unit 211 may write the authentication result to the RFID tag in association with tag identification information. For example, when facial feature information is read from multiple RFID tags, it may be impossible to distinguish between the RFID tags. In such a case, for example, the entrance writing unit 211 may write the authentication result for each tag identification information to the RFID tag. This allows the entrance reading unit 201 or the gate reading unit 213 to read the identification information that identifies the RFID tag and the authentication result for each tag identification information from the RFID tag, thereby enabling the authentication device 20 to identify the authentication result for each RFID tag.

[0081] The gate reading unit 213 uses an RFID reader installed at the gate 26 to read the tag identification information and authentication results from each RFID tag. If the authentication results are stored in the RFID tag for each tag identification information, the gate reading unit 213 reads the tag identification information of the RFID tag itself and the authentication results for each read tag identification information, and identifies the authentication result corresponding to the tag identification information of the RFID tag itself. Then, the gate control unit 215 opens the gate 26 if the read authentication result indicates successful authentication, and does not open the gate 26 if the read authentication result indicates unsuccessful authentication.

[0082] As in the example of registering the authentication result and controlling the gate 26, the gate control unit 215 may control the opening and closing of the gate 26 according to the seat number. For example, the RFID tag may also store the seat number. For example, the gate reading unit 213 may use an RFID reader installed in the gate 26 to further read the seat number from the RFID tag, and the gate control unit 215 controls the opening and closing of the gate 26 according to the seat number. Note that the opening and closing of the gate 26 according to the seat number may be the same as in the example described above, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0083] As with the example of registering the authentication result and controlling the gate 26, the gate control unit 215 may control the opening and closing of the gate 26 according to the employee number. For example, the RFID tag may also store the employee number. For example, the gate reading unit 213 may use an RFID reader installed on the gate 26 to further read the employee number from the RFID tag, and the gate control unit 215 may control the opening and closing of the gate 26 according to the employee number. Note that the opening and closing of the gate 26 according to the employee number may be the same as in the example described above, and therefore a detailed description will be omitted.

[0084] <Example of Control of Lighting Device of Gate 26> Here, a lighting device may be installed at the gate 26. When the gate 26 cannot be opened, the output unit 209 lights the lighting device installed at the gate 26 in a lighting method corresponding to the reason why the gate 26 cannot be opened. That is, the output unit 209 controls the lighting device installed at the gate 26 to light in a lighting method corresponding to the reason. Controlling the lighting method means controlling the lighting color or controlling flashing, lighting, or extinguishing. For example, when controlling the gate 26 according to the seat location, the output unit 209 controls the lighting of the lighting device so that the lighting color when authentication fails and the lighting color when the seat is not nearby can be distinguished. This allows a supervisor or other person to check the lighting method of the lighting device at a glance and confirm the reason why the gate 26 cannot be opened. For example, the supervisor or other person can provide guidance to a person attempting to pass through the gate 26 according to the reason.

[0085] Furthermore, the output unit 209 may light up a lighting device installed at the gate 26 in a lighting method according to the authentication result at the entrance. For example, the output unit 209 may light up the lighting device in a lighting method that indicates successful authentication. That is, when the gate 26 is to be opened, the output unit 209 may control the lighting device. Furthermore, the output unit 209 may control the lighting device even in the case of unauthenticated status. For example, the output unit 209 may light up the lighting device in blue if authentication is successful, light up the lighting device in red if authentication is unsuccessful, flash the lighting device in red if unauthenticated, and light up the lighting device in yellow if a seat is not nearby.

[0086] Although a lighting device is given as an example here, the gate 26 may be provided with a display device 24. The output unit 209 may output to the display device 24 a message indicating the reason why the gate 26 cannot be opened. The output unit 209 may also output to the display device 24 a message indicating the authentication result. If the authentication fails, the output unit 209 may output an alert to the manager's terminal device 25. Specifically, for example, the output unit 209 may notify the manager's terminal device 25 that a person who failed authentication at the entrance is attempting to pass through the gate 26.

[0087] <Other Output Examples> When authentication fails, the authentication device 20 may notify an administrator of which person the authentication has failed. For example, when there is a person whose facial feature values ​​obtained from a captured facial image do not match those of the read facial feature values, the authentication device 20 may output an alert to the administrator's terminal device 25.

[0088] Furthermore, the output unit 209 may highlight a person in the video captured by the imaging device 23 who has facial features that do not match any of the read facial features. For example, the output unit 209 may highlight a person in the video captured by the imaging device 23 who has facial features that do not match any of the read facial features while displaying the video captured by the imaging device 23 on the administrator's terminal device 25. As an example of highlighting, the output unit 209 may superimpose information indicating authentication failure on or near the person in the video. The output unit 209 may display at least a part of the person in a frame, or may superimpose a text label indicating authentication failure on the person.

[0089] Furthermore, the output unit 209 outputs a video of a person having facial features that do not match any of the read facial features from the video captured by the imaging device 23. For example, the output unit 209 extracts a video of a person having facial features that do not match any of the read facial features from the video captured by the imaging device 23, and outputs the extracted video. As an output method, for example, the output unit 209 may store the extracted video in a storage device or display it on the administrator's terminal device 25.

[0090] If authentication fails, the authentication device 20 may notify the person whose authentication has failed. As an example of the notification, when there is a person whose facial feature values ​​obtained from a captured face image do not match the read facial feature values, the output unit 209 may output identification information identifying the person to a device that can visually identify the person. For example, the device that can visually identify the person may be a display device 24 such as a signage as shown in FIG. 5 or a display device 24 such as a bulletin board. The identification information identifying the person may be a seat number or an employee number. The seat number or employee number can be obtained from the tag DB 2001 based on the tag identification information. Furthermore, if the RFID tag stores the seat number or employee number, the seat number or employee number may be read by the gate reading unit 213.

[0091] <Tracking> The tracking unit 219 may track the behavior of a person whose facial feature amounts identified from a facial image do not match those read from an RFID tag, and may not track the behavior of a person whose facial feature amounts match. The tracking method may be, for example, video tracking using the imaging device 23, and is not particularly limited. Specifically, for example, the tracking unit 219 may assign temporary identification information to a person whose facial feature amounts do not match in the video captured by the imaging device 23, and track the video using various imaging devices such as the imaging device 23. Note that the tracking unit 219 may track the behavior of a person whose facial feature amounts identified from a facial image match those read from an RFID tag, or may not track the behavior of a person whose facial feature amounts do not match. For example, the tracking unit 219 may assign identification information to a person whose facial feature amounts match in the video captured by the imaging device 23, and track the video using various imaging devices such as the imaging device 23. Note that the tag identification information of the RFID tag may be used as this temporary identification information.

[0092] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of authentication by the authentication device 20. Here, an example will be described in which the authentication result is written to the tag DB 2001. The entrance reading unit 201 uses the RFID reader / writer 22 to read tag identification information and facial features from an RFID tag (step S301).

[0093] The identification unit 203 identifies facial features from the image captured by the imaging device 13 (step S302). Next, the authentication unit 205 performs authentication by comparing the facial features from the captured image with the facial features read from the RFID tag (step S303). The registration unit 207 registers the authentication result in the tag DB 2001 (step S304). Then, after step S304, the authentication device 20 ends the series of processes shown in FIG. 13.

[0094] 14 is a flowchart showing an example of control of the gate 26 by the authentication device 20. Here, an example will be described in which the RFID tag stores a tag ID and facial features as tag identification information. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the tag DB 2001 stores the tag ID, authentication result, and seat number as tag identification information in association with each other.

[0095] The gate reader 213 uses an RFID reader installed at the gate 26 to read tag identification information and facial features from the RFID tag (step S401). Next, the gate controller 215 obtains, from the tag DB 2001, the authentication result and seat number associated with the tag identification information read by the gate reader 213 (step S402).

[0096] The gate control unit 215 determines whether the authentication result acquired in step S402 is successful, unsuccessful, or unauthenticated (step S403). If the authentication is successful (step S403: successful authentication), the gate control unit 215 determines whether the seat is close to the gate 26 (step S404). If the seat is close (step S404: Yes), the gate control unit 215 opens the gate 26 (step S405).

[0097] If the authentication has failed or the user has not been authenticated (step S403: authentication has failed, not authenticated), or if the seat is not nearby (step S404: No), the gate control unit 215 does not open the gate 26 (step S406).

[0098] After step S405 or step S406, the output unit 209 controls the lighting device in accordance with the authentication result and the seat number (step S407). After step S407, the authentication device 20 ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0099] The timing of steps S405 and S407 may be the same as the timing of steps S406 and S407.

[0100] As described above, in the second embodiment, the RFID tag stores tag identification information for identifying the RFID tag, and the authentication device 20 registers the authentication result in association with the read tag identification information in the tag DB 2001 that manages RFID tags. This allows the authentication device 20 to manage the authentication results for each person. The authentication device 20 also reads tag identification information from the RFID tag using an RFID reader provided at the gate 26 installed at a location different from the entrance, and controls the opening and closing of the gate 26 based on the authentication result associated with the tag identification information read in the tag DB 2001. For example, if the authentication result indicates a match, the authentication device 20 opens the gate 26, and if the authentication result indicates a mismatch, the authentication device 20 does not open the gate 26. This allows the authentication device 20 to control the gate 26 based on the authentication result without storing facial features. Therefore, because the authentication device 20 does not store facial features, which are biometric information, it is possible to control the gate 26 while reducing the risk of a person's biometric information being leaked due to theft or loss. In particular, even when it is necessary to authenticate a large number of people, such as at a concert, the authentication device 20 can perform facial authentication of the large number of people near the entrance and control the opening and closing of the gates 26 at each gate. Therefore, facial authentication is not required at each gate 26, and the time required to open and close the gates 26 can be reduced. Note that each embodiment is not limited to not performing facial authentication at each gate. For example, if facial authentication is performed using a two-dimensional code at each gate 26 when a person passes through the gate 26, the person needs to perform a scanning operation when passing through the gate 26. On the other hand, the authentication device 20 allows a person to pass through the gate without performing a scanning operation or the like.

[0101] The authentication device 20 opens the gate 26 if the position indicated by the seat position information stored in association with the tag identification information in the tag DB 2001 is near the gate 26, and does not open the gate 26 if the position is not near the gate 26. This allows the authentication device 10 to manage the entry and exit of people to and from each area of ​​a facility such as a concert venue with a simple configuration. Furthermore, when a person passes through the gate 26, they can pass through the gate 26 without performing a reading operation or the like.

[0102] Alternatively, the authentication device 20 may write the authentication result to the RFID tag using a writable RFID writer installed near the entrance. An example of an RFID writer is the RFID reader / writer 22. The authentication device 20 then reads the authentication result from the RFID tag using an RFID reader installed in a gate 26 installed at a location different from the entrance, and controls the opening and closing of the gate 26 based on the authentication result. The RFID tag stores seat position information, and the authentication device 20 reads the seat position information from the RFID tag using the RFID reader installed in the gate 26. The authentication device 20 opens the gate 26 if the seat position indicated by the read seat position information is near the gate 26, and does not open the gate 26 if the seat position is not near the gate 26. This allows the authentication device 10 to more accurately control the entry and exit of people in each area of ​​a facility such as a concert venue. A person can pass through the gate 26 without any reading operation.

[0103] Furthermore, a lighting device may be installed at the gate 26. When the authentication device 20 cannot open the gate 26, it turns on the lighting device installed at the gate 26 in a lighting method that corresponds to the reason why the gate 26 cannot be opened. This allows other persons, such as supervisors, to easily check the reason why the gate 26 cannot be opened for a person who is trying to pass through the gate 26. Furthermore, the authentication device 20 turns on the lighting device installed at the gate 26 in a lighting method that corresponds to the read authentication result. This allows other persons, such as supervisors, to easily check the authentication result for a person who is trying to pass through the gate 26.

[0104] Furthermore, if there is no match, the authentication device 20 outputs information that can identify the person who does not match. The information that can identify the person is seat position information that is stored in the tag DB 2001 in association with tag identification information that identifies the RFID tag.

[0105] Furthermore, the authentication device 20 tracks the behavior of persons who do not match, but does not track the behavior of persons who match. This allows the authentication device 20 to simultaneously authenticate multiple persons and manage the behavior of persons who have failed authentication, even if there is no gate 26 at the entrance or the gate 26 is always open.

[0106] Furthermore, if there is a person for whom the face does not match, the authentication device 20 outputs an alert to the administrator's terminal device 25. This allows the administrator to confirm that there is a person for whom face authentication has failed.

[0107] Furthermore, the authentication device 20 highlights people whose facial features do not match any of the facial features read from the RFID tag in the video captured by the imaging device 23. This allows a user such as an administrator to check people whose facial authentication has failed.

[0108] Furthermore, the authentication device 20 outputs an image of a person whose facial features do not match any of the facial features read from the RFID tag, among the images captured by the imaging device 23. This allows a user such as an administrator to confirm the person whose face authentication has failed.

[0109] This concludes the description of each embodiment. The embodiments may be combined as appropriate. There are no particular limitations on how they may be combined. In addition, in the second embodiment, examples such as registering the authentication result and controlling the gate 26, writing the authentication result and controlling the gate 26, controlling the lighting device of the gate 26, other output examples, and tracking examples have been described separately, but each example may be combined as appropriate.

[0110] Furthermore, the authentication devices 10 and 20 may be configured to include some of the functional units and information.

[0111] Furthermore, the embodiments are not limited to the above-described examples and can be modified in various ways. Furthermore, the configuration of the authentication devices 10 and 20 is not particularly limited. For example, the functional units of the authentication devices 10 and 20 may be implemented by a single device. Alternatively, for example, each functional unit or database of the authentication devices 10 and 20 may be implemented by a different device and configured as a system. For example, each functional unit of the authentication devices 10 and 20 may be implemented by multiple servers and configured as a system. For example, a system may be realized that includes a database server including each database and a server having each functional unit. A system may be realized that includes a server that includes some of the functional units of the authentication device and another server that includes some of the functional units of the authentication device. The number of servers is not particularly limited.

[0112] In addition, in the embodiment, each database may include part of the information described above. Also, each piece of information may include information other than the information described above.

[0113] Furthermore, the process of generating information to be displayed on the terminal device may be performed by a functional unit included in the authentication device, such as an output unit. This process may also be performed by the terminal device. That is, the terminal device may generate information for a screen to be displayed on the terminal device based on data received from the authentication device, and display the screen. The process of generating information to be displayed on the display device may be performed by a functional unit included in the authentication device, such as an output unit. This process may also be performed by the display device. That is, the display device may generate information for a screen to be displayed on the display device based on data received from the authentication device, and display the screen.

[0114] (Example of Computer Hardware Configuration) Next, an example of a hardware configuration in which each device such as the authentication devices 10 and 20 and the terminal device is realized by a computer will be described.

[0115] 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer. For example, some or all of the devices can be realized using any combination of a computer 80 and a program as shown in FIG.

[0116] The computer 80 includes, for example, a processor 801, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 802, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 803, and a storage device 804. The computer 80 also includes a communication interface 805 and an input / output interface 806. The components are connected to each other, for example, via a bus 807. The number of each component is not particularly limited, and there may be one or more of each component.

[0117] The processor 801 controls the entire computer 80. The processor 801 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a physics processing unit (PPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a quantum processor, or a combination thereof, and is not particularly limited.

[0118] The computer 80 also includes a ROM 802, a RAM 803, and a storage device 804. Examples of the storage device 804 include semiconductor memory such as flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), and a solid state drive (SSD). For example, the storage device 804 stores an operating system (OS) program, application programs, and programs according to the embodiments. Alternatively, the ROM 802 stores application programs and programs according to the embodiments. The RAM 803 is used as a work area for the processor 801.

[0119] The processor 801 also loads programs stored in the storage device 804, ROM 802, etc. The processor 801 then executes each process coded in the program. The processor 801 may also download various programs via the communication network NT. The processor 801 also functions as a part or all of the computer 80. The processor 801 may then execute the processes or instructions in the illustrated flowchart based on the program.

[0120] The communication interface 805 is connected to a communication network NT such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) via a wireless or wired communication line. The communication network NT may be composed of multiple communication networks NT. As a result, the computer 80 is connected to external devices and external computers 80 via the communication networks NT. The communication interface 805 serves as an interface between the communication network NT and the inside of the computer 80. The communication interface 805 also controls the input and output of data from external devices and external computers 80.

[0121] Furthermore, the input / output interface 806 is connected to at least one of an input device, an output device, and an input / output device. The connection method may be wireless or wired. Examples of the input device include a keyboard, a mouse, and a microphone. Examples of the output device include a display device, a lighting device, and an audio output device that outputs audio. Examples of the input / output device include a touch panel display. Note that the input device, output device, and input / output device may be built into the computer 80 or may be external.

[0122] The hardware configuration of the computer 80 is an example. The computer 80 may have some of the components shown in FIG. 15 . The computer 80 may have components other than those shown in FIG. 15 . For example, the computer 80 may have a drive device or the like. The processor 801 may then read programs and data stored on a recording medium attached to the drive device or the like into the RAM 803. Examples of non-transitory tangible recording media include optical disks, flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, and USB (Universal Serial Bus) memories. As described above, the computer 80 may have input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse. The computer 80 may have an output device such as a display. The computer 80 may also have an input device, an output device, and an input / output device.

[0123] The computer 80 may also include various sensors (not shown). The types of sensors are not particularly limited. The computer 80 may also include an imaging device capable of capturing images or videos.

[0124] This concludes the description of the hardware configuration of each device. There are various variations in the method of realizing each device. For example, each device may be realized by any combination of a different computer and program for each component. Furthermore, multiple components of each device may be realized by any combination of a single computer and program.

[0125] Furthermore, some or all of the components of each device may be realized by circuits for specific applications. Furthermore, some or all of the components of each device may be realized by general-purpose circuits such as FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays). Furthermore, some or all of the components of each device may be realized by a combination of circuits for specific applications and general-purpose circuits. These circuits may be a single integrated circuit. Alternatively, these circuits may be divided into multiple integrated circuits. The multiple integrated circuits may be connected via a bus or the like.

[0126] Furthermore, when some or all of the components of each device are realized by a plurality of computers, circuits, etc., the plurality of computers, circuits, etc. may be centrally located or distributed.

[0127] The authentication method described in each embodiment may be realized by being executed by a computer such as the authentication device 10 or 20.

[0128] Each program described in each embodiment is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a HDD, SSD, flexible disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or USB memory. Each program is executed by being read from the recording medium by a computer. Each program may also be distributed via a communication network NT.

[0129] The functions of each of the components of authentication device 10 and authentication device 20 described above may be realized by dedicated hardware, such as a computer. Alternatively, each component may be realized by software. Alternatively, each component may be realized by a combination of hardware and software.

[0130] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. The configuration and details of each of the present disclosures may include embodiments to which various modifications that would be apparent to those skilled in the art are applied within the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure may include embodiments in which the features described herein are appropriately combined or substituted as necessary. For example, features described using a particular embodiment may also be applied to other embodiments to the extent that no contradiction occurs. For example, although multiple operations are described in sequence in the form of a flowchart, the order of description does not limit the order in which the multiple operations are performed. Therefore, when implementing the embodiments, the order of the multiple operations may be changed as long as the content is not affected.

[0131] Some or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as follows: However, some or all of the above-described embodiments are not limited to the following.

[0132] (Supplementary Note 1) An authentication device comprising: an entrance reading means for reading facial features from an RFID tag that stores facial features, using an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) reader that is installed in a readable manner near an entrance of a facility that multiple people can pass through; an identification means for identifying facial features from each face image of a person captured by an imaging device that is installed in a manner that can capture an image of the person passing through the entrance; and an authentication means for authenticating each person passing through the entrance by comparing the facial features identified from the captured face image with the read facial features.

[0133] (Supplementary Note 2) The authentication device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the authentication means deletes the read facial feature when the facial feature identified from the captured facial image matches the read facial feature.

[0134] (Supplementary Note 3) The authentication device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the authentication means deletes the read facial feature amount after a predetermined time has elapsed if the facial feature amount identified from the captured facial image does not match the read facial feature amount.

[0135] (Supplementary Note 4) An authentication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, further comprising: a registration means for registering an authentication result in a database that manages RFID tags; wherein the RFID tag stores tag identification information that identifies the RFID tag; the entrance reading means reads the facial features and the tag identification information from the RFID tag; and the registration means registers the authentication result in the database in association with the read tag identification information.

[0136] (Supplementary Note 5) An authentication device according to Supplementary Note 4, comprising: a gate reading means for reading the tag identification information from the RFID tag using an RFID reader provided in a gate installed at a location different from the entrance; and a gate control means for controlling opening and closing of the gate, wherein the gate control means opens the gate when the authentication result stored in the database in association with the tag identification information indicates a match, and does not open the gate when the authentication result indicates a mismatch.

[0137] (Supplementary Note 6) The authentication device described in Supplementary Note 5, wherein the gate control means opens the gate when the position indicated by the seat position information stored in the database in association with the tag identification information is near the gate, and does not open the gate when the position is not near the gate.

[0138] (Supplementary Note 7) An authentication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 6, comprising: an entrance writing means for writing an authentication result to the RFID tag using an RFID writer installed near the entrance in a writable manner; a gate reading means for reading the authentication result from the RFID tag using an RFID reader provided in a gate installed at a location different from the entrance; and a gate control means for controlling opening and closing of the gate, wherein the gate control means opens the gate when the read authentication result indicates a match, and does not open the gate when the read authentication result indicates a mismatch.

[0139] (Appendix 8) The authentication device described in Appendix 7, wherein the RFID tag stores seat position information, the gate reading means reads the seat position information from the RFID tag, and the gate control means opens the gate when the position indicated by the read seat position information is near the gate, and does not open the gate when the position is not near the gate.

[0140] (Supplementary Note 9) The authentication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 5 to 8, further comprising: an output means for, when the gate cannot be opened, lighting a lighting device installed at the gate in a lighting method according to a reason why the gate cannot be opened.

[0141] (Supplementary Note 10) The authentication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 5 to 8, further comprising: an output means for lighting a lighting device installed at the gate in a lighting method according to the read authentication result.

[0142] (Supplementary Note 11) The authentication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 10, further comprising: an output unit configured to output, when there is no match, information that can identify the person who does not match.

[0143] (Supplementary Note 12) The authentication device according to Supplementary Note 11, wherein the information capable of identifying a person is seat position information stored in association with tag identification information that identifies an RFID tag in a database that manages RFID tags.

[0144] (Supplementary Note 13) The authentication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 12, further comprising: a tracking means for tracking the behavior of a person who does not match, and not tracking the behavior of a person who matches.

[0145] (Supplementary Note 14) The authentication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 13, further comprising: an output unit that outputs an alert to the terminal device of the administrator when there is a person who does not match.

[0146] (Supplementary Note 15) The authentication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 14, further comprising: an output means for highlighting a person in the video captured by the imaging device who has facial features that do not match any of the facial features that have been read.

[0147] (Supplementary Note 16) The authentication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 15, further comprising: an output means for outputting an image of a person, among images captured by the imaging device, having facial features that do not match any of the read facial features.

[0148] (Supplementary Note 17) The authentication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 16, further comprising: a pre-writing unit that writes, into the RFID tag, identification information for identifying the RFID tag and facial features of a person identified from an image captured by a terminal device, using an RFID writer.

[0149] (Supplementary Note 18) The authentication device according to Supplementary Note 17, wherein the terminal device is a ticket issuing device, and the RFID writer is provided in the ticket issuing device.

[0150] (Supplementary Note 19) An authentication method in which a computer executes the following process: reads facial features from an RFID tag that stores the facial features, using an RFID reader installed near an entrance to a facility that multiple people can pass through; identifies the facial features from each face image of a person captured by an imaging device installed so as to be able to capture an image of the person passing through the entrance; and authenticates each person passing through the entrance by comparing the identified facial features from the captured face image with the read facial features.

[0151] (Supplementary Note 20) A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute the following processes: reading facial features from an RFID tag that stores the facial features using an RFID reader installed near an entrance to a facility that multiple people can pass through; identifying the facial features from each face image of a person captured by an imaging device installed so as to be able to capture an image of the person passing through the entrance; and authenticating each person passing through the entrance by comparing the identified facial features from the captured face image with the read facial features.

[0152] (Supplementary Note 21) A program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: read facial features from an RFID tag that stores facial features using an RFID reader installed near an entrance to a facility that multiple people can pass through; identify facial features from each face image of a person captured by an imaging device installed so as to be able to capture images of the person passing through the entrance; and authenticate each person passing through the entrance by comparing the facial features identified from the captured face image with the read facial features.

[0153] Furthermore, some or all of the configurations described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 18, which are dependent on Supplementary Note 1, may also be dependent on Supplementary Notes 19, 20, and 21 in the same dependent relationship as Supplementary Notes 2 to 18. Furthermore, not limited to Supplementary Notes 1, 19, 20, and 21, some or all of the configurations described as Supplements may be made dependent on various hardware, software, various recording means for recording software, or systems, within the scope of each of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0154] 1, 2 Authentication system 10, 20 Authentication device 11, 11-1 to 11-n, 21 Antenna 12 RFID reader 13, 23 Imaging device 22 RFID reader / writer 24 Display device 25 Terminal device 26 Gate 27 Ticket issuing device 80 Computer 101, 201 Entrance reading unit 103, 203 Identification unit 105, 205 Authentication unit 207 Registration unit 209 Output unit 211 Entrance writing unit 213 Gate reading unit 215 Gate control unit 217 Pre-writing unit 219 Tracking unit 801 Processor 802 ROM 803 RAM 804 Storage device 805 Communication interface 806 Input / output interface 807 Bus 2001 Tag DB NT Communication network

Claims

1. An authentication device comprising: an entrance reading means for reading facial features from an RFID tag that stores facial features using an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) reader installed in a readable manner near an entrance to a facility through which multiple people can pass; an identification means for identifying facial features from each face image of a person captured by an imaging device installed in a manner that can capture images of the person passing through the entrance; and an authentication means for authenticating each person passing through the entrance by comparing the facial features identified from the captured face image with the read facial features.

2. The authentication device according to claim 1, wherein the authentication means deletes the read facial features when the facial features identified from the captured facial image match the read facial features.

3. The authentication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the authentication means deletes the read facial features after a predetermined time has elapsed if the facial features identified from the captured facial image do not match the read facial features.

4. An authentication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a registration means for registering authentication results in a database that manages RFID tags, wherein the RFID tag stores tag identification information that identifies the RFID tag, the entrance reading means reads the facial features and the tag identification information from the RFID tag, and the registration means registers the authentication results in the database in association with the read tag identification information.

5. An authentication device as described in claim 4, comprising: gate reading means for reading the tag identification information from the RFID tag using an RFID reader provided in a gate installed at a location different from the entrance; and gate control means for controlling the opening and closing of the gate, wherein the gate control means opens the gate when the authentication result stored in the database in association with the tag identification information indicates a match, and does not open the gate when the authentication result indicates a mismatch.

6. The authentication device according to claim 5, wherein the gate control means opens the gate when the position indicated by the seat position information stored in the database in association with the tag identification information is near the gate, and does not open the gate when the position is not near the gate.

7. An authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: an entrance writing means for writing the authentication result to the RFID tag using an RFID writer installed in a writable manner near the entrance; a gate reading means for reading the authentication result from the RFID tag using an RFID reader provided in a gate installed in a location different from the entrance; and a gate control means for controlling the opening and closing of the gate, wherein the gate control means opens the gate if the read authentication result indicates a match, and does not open the gate if the read authentication result indicates a mismatch.

8. The authentication device according to claim 7, wherein the RFID tag stores seat position information, the gate reading means reads the seat position information from the RFID tag, and the gate control means opens the gate if the position indicated by the read seat position information is near the gate, and does not open the gate if the position is not near the gate.

9. An authentication device according to any one of claims 5 to 8, further comprising output means for, if the gate cannot be opened, lighting a lighting device installed at the gate in a lighting method according to the reason why the gate cannot be opened.

10. An authentication device according to any one of claims 5 to 8, further comprising output means for lighting a lighting device installed at the gate in a lighting method according to the read authentication result.

11. An authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising: output means for outputting information that can identify the person who does not match if the two do not match.

12. The authentication device according to claim 11, wherein the information capable of identifying a person is seat position information stored in association with tag identification information that identifies an RFID tag in a database that manages RFID tags.

13. An authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising a tracking means for tracking the behavior of a person who does not match and not tracking the behavior of a person who matches.

14. An authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising: output means for outputting an alert to the administrator's terminal device when there is a person who does not match.

15. An authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, comprising an output means for highlighting a person in the image captured by the imaging device who has facial features that do not match any of the facial features that have been read.

16. An authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, comprising an output means for outputting an image of a person captured by the imaging device, the person having facial features that do not match any of the facial features that have been read.

17. An authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising a pre-writing means for writing, into the RFID tag, identification information for identifying the RFID tag and facial features of a person identified from an image captured by a terminal device using an RFID writer.

18. The authentication device according to claim 17, wherein the terminal device is a ticket issuing device, and the RFID writer is provided in the ticket issuing device.

19. An authentication method in which a computer executes the following process: reads facial features from an RFID tag that stores facial features using an RFID reader installed near an entrance to a facility through which multiple people can pass; identifies facial features from each face image of a person captured by an imaging device installed so as to be able to capture images of the person passing through the entrance; and authenticates each person passing through the entrance by comparing the facial features identified from the captured face image with the facial features that were read.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute the following processes: reading facial features from an RFID tag that stores facial features using an RFID reader installed near an entrance to a facility through which multiple people can pass; identifying facial features from each face image of a person captured by an imaging device installed so as to be able to capture images of the person passing through the entrance; and authenticating each person passing through the entrance by comparing the facial features identified from the captured face image with the facial features that were read.

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