Information processing device, information processing method, and recording medium

Abstract

This information processing device comprises: an acquisition means for acquiring an image captured to include a living body and a physical code; and an evaluation means for evaluating the quality of the captured image by using the physical code included in the captured image.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method, and recording medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical fields of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium.

[0002] One such device proposed is one that, when depositing luggage, registers a facial image of the user and issues a two-dimensional code to the user, and when retrieving the luggage, acquires the user's facial image and the two-dimensional code, performs at least one of a match using the facial image and a match using the two-dimensional code, and determines whether or not to unlock the security locker based on the match result (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2023-054482 A

[0004] An object of this disclosure is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium that aim to improve the technology related to the prior art documents mentioned above.

[0005] One aspect of the information processing device includes an acquisition means for acquiring an image captured to include a living body and a physical code, and an evaluation means for evaluating the quality of the captured image using the physical code included in the captured image.

[0006] One aspect of the information processing method includes acquiring a captured image that includes a living body and a physical code, and evaluating quality of the captured image using the physical code included in the captured image.

[0007] One aspect of the recording medium is a recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method for acquiring an image captured so as to include a living body and a physical code, and evaluating the quality of the captured image using the physical code contained in the captured image.

[0008] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the information processing device according to an embodiment; FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another example of a configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment; FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a arithmetic device according to an embodiment; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a captured image; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a comparison image; FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another example of a configuration of a arithmetic device according to an embodiment; FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an example of an authentication system according to an embodiment; FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing another example of a configuration of a arithmetic device according to an embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a reference image; FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing another example of a configuration of a arithmetic device according to an embodiment; FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing another example of a configuration of a arithmetic device according to an embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an imaging mode; FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another example of an imaging mode; FIG. 15 is a diagram showing another example of an imaging mode.

[0009] First Embodiment A first embodiment of an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Hereinafter, the first embodiment of an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described using an information processing device 10.

[0010] The information processing device 10 may constitute a part of a biometric authentication system related to biometric authentication. In FIG. 1 , the information processing device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11 and an evaluation unit 12. Note that the information processing device 10 may include only one of the acquisition unit 11 and the evaluation unit 12. In this case, for example, the information processing device 10 may include one of the acquisition unit 11 and the evaluation unit 12, and another device different from the information processing device 10 may include the other of the acquisition unit 11 and the evaluation unit 12. In this case, the information processing device 10 and the other device may form an information processing system. In this case, it can be said that the information processing system includes the acquisition unit 11 and the evaluation unit 12. Note that the information processing device 10 including the acquisition unit 11 and the evaluation unit 12 may constitute a part of the information processing system. In this case, it can also be said that the information processing system includes the acquisition unit 11 and the evaluation unit 12.

[0011] The acquisition unit 11 acquires a captured image that includes a biometric and a physical code. The "biometric" may refer to a subject of biometric authentication. The "biometric" is typically a human, but may also refer to a non-human animal. An example of a non-human animal is at least one of livestock and captive animals. The "physical code" may refer to an optically readable code. An example of a "physical code" is at least one of a barcode, a two-dimensional code, and a three-dimensional code. "Capturing an image that includes a biometric and a physical code" means capturing an image of the biometric and the physical code as the subject.

[0012] The evaluation unit 12 evaluates the quality of the captured image using the physical code included in the captured image. Evaluation items for the quality of the captured image may include, for example, at least one of the presence and degree of camera shake (so-called camera shake), the presence and degree of subject shake (i.e., motion blur), and whether the subject is in focus.

[0013] The operation of the information processing device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, the acquisition unit 11 of the information processing device 10 acquires a captured image that includes a biological subject and a physical code (step S101). The evaluation unit 12 of the information processing device 10 evaluates the quality of the captured image acquired in the processing of step S101 (step S102).

[0014] In this way, the information processing device 10 may perform an information processing method in which a captured image is acquired so as to include a living body and a physical code, and the quality of the captured image is evaluated using the physical code included in the captured image.

[0015] The information processing device 10 may be realized by a computer reading a computer program recorded on a recording medium. In this case, the recording medium may have recorded thereon a computer program for causing the computer to execute an information processing method for acquiring captured images that include a living body and a physical code, and evaluating the quality of the captured images using the physical code included in the captured images.

[0016] (Technical Effect) In image-based biometric authentication, such as face recognition and iris recognition, authentication is performed based on an image of a biometric authentication target (corresponding to the above-mentioned "biome") and pre-registered registration information. If the quality of the registration information is relatively low, biometric authentication may not be performed appropriately. In other words, the quality of the registration information may reduce the authentication accuracy. As a result, the reliability of the biometric authentication system may be reduced. In image-based biometric authentication, the registration information may be an image or features extracted from an image. Hereinafter, an image serving as registration information will be referred to as a "registered image" as appropriate. Also, features serving as registration information will be referred to as "registered features" as appropriate. Note that when the registration information is a registered image, authentication may be performed based on features extracted from an image of a biometric authentication target and features extracted from the registered image. When the registration information is a registered feature, authentication may be performed based on features extracted from an image of a biometric authentication target and the registered feature.

[0017] The evaluation unit 12 of the information processing device 10 evaluates the quality of the captured image. The evaluation of the quality of the captured image can also use a living body included in the captured image. However, there are individual differences between living bodies. When the quality of the captured image is evaluated using the living body included in the captured image, there is a possibility that the evaluation will vary due to the individual differences between the living bodies.

[0018] In contrast, the evaluation unit 12 evaluates the quality of the captured image using a physical code included in the captured image. Since the physical code is an artificial object, it can be said that the physical code is homogeneous. Therefore, the evaluation unit 12 can evaluate the quality of the captured image without being affected by the quality of the physical code. Therefore, according to the information processing device 10 according to the first embodiment, the quality of the captured image can be appropriately evaluated. The quality of the captured image may also be referred to as "image quality." It should be noted that, instead of the physical code, for example, a checkerboard may be used.

[0019] By referring to the quality of the captured image evaluated by the information processing device 10 (specifically, the evaluation unit 12), it is possible to relatively easily determine whether the captured image is suitable for registration. When the registration information is a registration image, "whether the captured image is suitable for registration" may mean "whether the captured image is appropriate as a registration image." When the registration information is a registration feature, "whether the captured image is suitable for registration" may mean "whether the feature extracted from the captured image is appropriate as a registration feature." Note that the quality of the feature extracted from the captured image depends on the quality of the captured image. Therefore, by referring to the quality of the captured image, it is possible to determine whether the feature extracted from the captured image is appropriate as a registration feature. When the registration information is a registration image, registering a captured image determined to be suitable for registration can be expected to improve the quality of the registration image. Furthermore, when the registration information is a registration feature, registering the feature extracted from a captured image determined to be suitable for registration can be expected to improve the quality of the registration feature. As a result, it is expected that the reliability of the biometric authentication system will be improved.

[0020] Second Embodiment A second embodiment of an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Hereinafter, the second embodiment of an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described using an information processing device 100. Note that, for the second embodiment, descriptions that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0021] 3 , the information processing device 100 includes a calculation device 110, a storage device 120, a communication device 130, an input device 140, and an output device 150. The calculation device 110, the storage device 120, the communication device 130, the input device 140, and the output device 150 may be connected via a data bus 160. Note that the information processing device 100 does not necessarily include at least one of the input device 140 and the output device 150.

[0022] The arithmetic device 110 may include a processor 1101. The arithmetic device 110 may include other processors in addition to the processor 1101. That is, the arithmetic device 110 may include one or more processors. The processor 1101 may be a multi-core processor. When the arithmetic device 110 includes a single processor 1101 that is a multi-core processor, it can be said that the arithmetic device 110 logically includes multiple processors.

[0023] The processor 1101 may be, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit), and a quantum processor.

[0024] The storage device 120 may include a memory 1201. The storage device 120 may include other memories in addition to the memory 1201. That is, the storage device 120 may include one or more memories. The memory 1201 may be, for example, at least one of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a hard disk device, a magneto-optical disk device, an SSD (Solid State Drive), and an optical disk array. Therefore, the storage device 120 may include the memory 1201 as a non-transitory recording medium.

[0025] The storage device 120 can store desired data. A computer program 1201a to be executed by the arithmetic device 110 may be stored in the memory 1201 of the storage device 120. The storage device 120 may temporarily store data that is temporarily used by the arithmetic device 110 when the arithmetic device 110 is executing the computer program 1201a.

[0026] The computer program 1201a may be recorded on a computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium. In this case, the computer program 1201a may be stored in the memory 1201 by reading the recording medium using a recording medium reading device (not shown) included in the information processing device 100. The recording medium may be at least one of an optical disk, a magnetic medium, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, and any other medium capable of storing a program. The computer program 1201a may be acquired (in other words, downloaded) from a device (not shown) external to the information processing device 100 via the communication device 130. The acquired computer program 1201a may be stored in the memory 1201.

[0027] The communication device 130 may be capable of communicating with devices external to the information processing device 100. The communication device 130 may perform wired communication or wireless communication.

[0028] The input device 140 is a device capable of accepting information input to the information processing device 100 from outside. The input device 140 may include an operation device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc.) that can be operated by a user of the information processing device 100. The input device 140 may include a recording medium reading device that can read information recorded on a recording medium that is detachable from the information processing device 100, such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. Note that when information is input to the information processing device 100 via the communication device 130 (in other words, when the information processing device 100 acquires information via the communication device 130), the communication device 130 may function as an input device.

[0029] The output device 150 is a device capable of outputting information to the outside of the information processing device 100. The output device 150 may output visual information such as text or images, auditory information such as sound, or tactile information such as vibration, as the information. The output device 150 may include, for example, at least one of a display, a speaker, a printer, and a vibration motor. The output device 150 may be capable of outputting information to a recording medium that is detachable from the information processing device 100, such as a USB memory. Note that when the information processing device 100 outputs information via the communication device 130, the communication device 130 may function as the output device.

[0030] The processor 1101 of the arithmetic device 110, together with the memory 1201 of the storage device 120 in which the computer program 1201a is stored (in other words, together with the memory 1201 and the computer program 1201a stored in the memory 1201), may execute the processing to be performed by the information processing device 100. For example, the processor 1101 may execute the computer program 1201a, thereby realizing a logical functional block in the arithmetic device 110 (for example, in the processor 1101) for executing the processing to be performed by the information processing device 100.

[0031] 4, the arithmetic device 110 may have an acquisition unit 111 and an evaluation unit 112 as logically realized functional blocks or as physically realized processing circuits. At least one of the acquisition unit 111 and the evaluation unit 112 may be realized in a form in which a logical functional block and a physical processing circuit (i.e., hardware) are mixed.

[0032] When the acquisition unit 111 and the evaluation unit 112 are realized as functional blocks, the acquisition unit 111 and the evaluation unit 112 may be realized by a single processor (e.g., processor 1101). Alternatively, the acquisition unit 111 and the evaluation unit 112 may be realized by different processors. The "acquisition unit 111" and the "evaluation unit 112" are components corresponding to the "acquisition unit 11" and the "evaluation unit 12" in the first embodiment described above, respectively. The information processing device 100 may constitute a part of an information processing system. In this case, it can be said that the information processing system includes the acquisition unit 111 and the evaluation unit 112.

[0033] The acquiring unit 111 acquires a captured image that includes a living body and a physical code. The evaluating unit 112 evaluates the quality of the captured image using the physical code included in the captured image.

[0034] (Technical Effect) According to the information processing device 100 of the second embodiment, similarly to the information processing device 10 of the first embodiment described above, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the quality of a captured image. When the registration information is a registration image, if a captured image determined to be suitable for registration based on the quality of the captured image is registered, the quality of the registered image can be expected to be improved. Furthermore, when the registration information is a registration feature, if a feature extracted from a captured image determined to be suitable for registration based on the quality of the captured image is registered, the quality of the registered feature can be expected to be improved.

[0035] Third Embodiment A third embodiment relating to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Hereinafter, the third embodiment relating to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described using an information processing device 100. Note that, for the third embodiment, descriptions that overlap with the first and second embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[0036] In this embodiment, an example of a method for evaluating a captured image by the evaluation unit 112 of the information processing device 100 will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. An image 510 shown in Fig. 5 is an example of a captured image (i.e., a captured image captured so as to include a living body and a physical code). The image 510 includes a barcode 511 as an example of a physical code.

[0037] Image 520 shown in Fig. 6 is a computer-generated image including a barcode 521 as an example of a physical code. Barcode 511 included in image 510 shown in Fig. 5 is an image of barcode 521 printed on a medium such as paper, captured as a subject. Therefore, barcode 511 and barcode 521 are substantially the same.

[0038] Now, when a barcode 521 printed on a medium is captured as a subject, for example, due to at least one of the specifications of the imaging device and the imaging conditions, a difference may occur between the barcode 511 included in the image 510 and the barcode 521 included in the image 520. Therefore, by comparing the barcode 511 included in the image 510 with the barcode 521 included in the image 520, it is possible to evaluate the quality of the image 510, which is due to at least one of the specifications of the imaging device and the imaging conditions, for example.

[0039] The evaluation unit 112 of the information processing device 100 according to the third embodiment may evaluate the quality of the image 510 (i.e., the captured image) by comparing the barcode 511 included in the image 510 with the barcode 521 included in the image 520, using the barcode 521 included in the image 520 as a reference. Note that the image 520 may also be referred to as a reference image.

[0040] Here, the barcode 521 printed on the medium may be positioned near the part of the living body to be imaged (the eyes in the image 510) when the living body is imaged. For example, assuming that the focal position of the imaging device is the position of the part of the living body to be imaged, it is desirable that the barcode 521 printed on the medium be positioned on a plane (so-called focal plane) that includes the focal position and has a normal line along the optical axis of the imaging device. Note that, assuming that the focal position of the imaging device is the position of the part of the living body to be imaged, the barcode 521 printed on the medium may be positioned within the depth of field. With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether the part of the living body to be imaged is in focus by evaluating whether the barcode 511 included in the image 510 is in focus.

[0041] (Technical Effect) According to the information processing device 100 of the third embodiment, for example, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the quality of a captured image caused by at least one of the specifications of the imaging device and the imaging conditions. When the registration information is a registration image, if a captured image determined to be suitable for registration based on the quality of the captured image is registered, the quality of the registered image can be expected to be improved. Furthermore, when the registration information is a registration feature, if a feature extracted from a captured image determined to be suitable for registration based on the quality of the captured image is registered, the quality of the registered feature can be expected to be improved.

[0042] Fourth Embodiment A fourth embodiment relating to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Hereinafter, the fourth embodiment relating to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described using an information processing device 100. Note that, with regard to the fourth embodiment, descriptions that overlap with the first to third embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[0043] The information processing device 100 according to the fourth embodiment may include a calculation device 110a instead of the calculation device 110. The calculation device 110a may have one or more processors, similar to the calculation device 110. As shown in Fig. 7 , the calculation device 110a may include an acquisition unit 111, an evaluation unit 112, and a determination unit 113 as logically realized functional blocks or as physically realized processing circuits. The determination unit 113 may be realized in a form in which logical functional blocks and physical processing circuits are mixed.

[0044] Note that when the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, and the determination unit 113 are realized as functional blocks, the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, and the determination unit 113 may be realized by a single processor (for example, the processor 1101). Alternatively, the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, and the determination unit 113 may each be realized by a different processor. Alternatively, parts of the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, and the determination unit 113 may be realized by one processor, and the remaining parts of the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, and the determination unit 113 may be realized by one or more other processors different from the one processor.

[0045] The evaluation unit 112 of the information processing device 100 according to the fourth embodiment may evaluate the quality of a captured image using a barcode (e.g., barcode 511 shown in FIG. 5 ) included in the captured image. The evaluation unit 112 may further evaluate the quality of biometric information related to a living body included in the captured image (e.g., an eye included in image 510 shown in FIG. 5 ) using the quality of the captured image and the captured image. Evaluation items for the quality of the biometric information may include, for example, at least one of whether the exposure (brightness) of the subject is appropriate, whether the number of pixels constituting the subject in the captured image is appropriate (in other words, whether the size of the subject is appropriate), whether the facial orientation is appropriate, whether the degree of eye opening indicating the degree of eye opening is appropriate, whether the iris pattern is clear, and whether colored contact lenses are worn.

[0046] The determination unit 113 of the information processing device 100 may determine whether to register the captured image as a registration image for biometric authentication based on the quality of the captured image and the quality of the biometric information evaluated by the evaluation unit 112. For example, if the quality of the captured image satisfies a predetermined quality and the quality of the biometric information satisfies a predetermined quality, the determination unit 113 may determine to register the captured image as a registration image. For example, if the quality of the captured image does not satisfy the predetermined quality and / or the quality of the biometric information does not satisfy the predetermined quality, the determination unit 113 may determine not to register the captured image as a registration image.

[0047] The physical code included in the captured image may be a code linked to identification information for identifying a living body (e.g., identification number, name, age, sex, address, telephone number, affiliation, etc.). If the captured image or biometric features extracted from the captured image are registered as biometric registration information, the identification information read from the physical code may be linked to the registration information and registered. This configuration can reduce the burden of registration.

[0048] The determination unit 113 may determine whether or not to use the captured image for biometric authentication based on the quality of the captured image and the quality of the biometric information evaluated by the evaluation unit 112. For example, if the quality of the captured image satisfies a predetermined quality and the quality of the biometric information satisfies a predetermined quality, the determination unit 113 may determine that the captured image is to be used for biometric authentication. For example, if the quality of the captured image does not satisfy the predetermined quality and / or the quality of the biometric information does not satisfy the predetermined quality, the determination unit 113 may determine that the captured image is not to be used for biometric authentication. If the determination unit 113 determines that the captured image is to be used for biometric authentication, for example, the authentication device 210 may perform biometric authentication of a living body using the captured image.

[0049] (Technical Effect) The information processing device 100 according to the fourth embodiment can evaluate the quality of biometric information. That is, the information processing device 100 can separately evaluate, for example, the quality of a captured image resulting from at least one of the specifications of an imaging device and imaging conditions, and the quality of biometric information resulting from individual differences in the living body. Because the quality of the captured image and the quality of the biometric information are separately evaluated, the information processing device 100 can appropriately determine whether or not to register registration information based on the captured image. Note that the registration information based on the captured image may be a registration image or may be registration features (i.e., features extracted from the captured image).

[0050] Fifth Embodiment A fifth embodiment relating to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 10. Hereinafter, the fifth embodiment relating to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described using an information processing device 100. Note that, for the fifth embodiment, descriptions that overlap with the first to fourth embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[0051] The information processing device 100 according to the fifth embodiment constitutes a part of a biometric authentication system 1. In Fig. 8, the biometric authentication system 1 includes the information processing device 100, an authentication device 210, and an authentication device 220. The information processing device 100, the authentication device 210, and the authentication device 220 may be configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network NW. The network NW may be, for example, a wide area network such as the Internet, or may be, for example, a narrow area network such as a local area network (LAN).

[0052] The authentication device 210 may be installed in location A. The authentication device 220 may be installed in location B, which is different from location A. Location A and location B may be adjacent to each other. Location B may be on a different floor of the same facility as location A. Location B may be in a different facility from location A.

[0053] The authentication device 210 may include a database 211 in which registered images related to biometric authentication are registered, and a camera CAM 1. The authentication device 210 may perform biometric authentication of a target using an image generated by the camera CAM 1 capturing an image of the target for biometric authentication and the registered image registered in the database 211.

[0054] The authentication device 220 may include a database 221 in which registered images related to biometric authentication are registered, and a camera CAM 2. The authentication device 220 may perform biometric authentication of a target using an image generated by the camera CAM 2 capturing an image of the target for biometric authentication and the registered image registered in the database 221.

[0055] For example, authentication devices 210 and 220 may be used by a single organization (e.g., a company, a government agency, etc.). For example, in order for a single person belonging to a single organization to use both authentication devices 210 and 220, a registered image of the single person needs to be registered in both databases 211 and 221. In this case, for example, if the registered image registered in database 211 of authentication device 210 can also be registered in database 221 of authentication device 220, the burden on the single person can be reduced.

[0056] The information processing apparatus 100 according to the fifth embodiment may include a calculation device 110b instead of the calculation device 110. The calculation device 110b may have one or more processors, similar to the calculation device 110. As shown in Fig. 9 , the calculation device 110b may include an acquisition unit 111, an evaluation unit 112, a determination unit 113, and a conversion unit 114, which may be logically realized functional blocks or physically realized processing circuits. The conversion unit 114 may be realized in a form in which logical functional blocks and physical processing circuits are mixed.

[0057] Note that when the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, the determination unit 113, and the conversion unit 114 are realized as functional blocks, the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, the determination unit 113, and the conversion unit 114 may be realized by a single processor (e.g., processor 1101). Alternatively, the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, the determination unit 113, and the conversion unit 114 may be realized by different processors. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, the determination unit 113, and some of the conversion unit 114 may be realized by one processor, and the remaining parts of the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, the determination unit 113, and the conversion unit 114 may be realized by one or more other processors different from the one processor.

[0058] For example, the operation of the information processing device 100 will be described when the camera CAM1 registers an image (e.g., image 510 shown in Figure 5) generated by capturing a biometric and physical code in the database 211 of the authentication device 210 as a registered image.

[0059] The acquisition unit 111 of the information processing device 100 acquires a captured image generated by the camera CAM1 capturing an image of a biological body and a physical code. The evaluation unit 112 of the information processing device 100 may evaluate the quality of the captured image using a physical code (e.g., barcode 511 shown in FIG. 5 ) included in the captured image acquired by the acquisition unit 111. For example, similar to the third embodiment described above, the evaluation unit 112 may evaluate the quality of the captured image by comparing a physical code generated on a computer (e.g., barcode 521 shown in FIG. 6 ) with a physical code included in the captured image, using the physical code generated on a computer as a reference.

[0060] For example, the evaluation unit 112 may evaluate the quality of biometric information related to a living body included in the captured image (e.g., an eye included in image 510 shown in FIG. 5 ) using the quality of the captured image and the captured image, as in the fourth embodiment described above. The determination unit 113 of the information processing device 100 may determine whether or not to register the captured image as a registered image based on the quality of the captured image and the quality of the biometric information. When the determination unit 113 determines that the captured image should be registered as a registered image, the information processing device 100 may register the captured image in the database 211 as a registered image.

[0061] For example, the operation of the information processing device 100 will be described when the camera CAM1 registers an image (e.g., image 510 shown in Figure 5) generated by capturing a biometric and physical code in the database 221 of the authentication device 220 as a registered image.

[0062] The evaluation unit 112 may evaluate the quality of the captured image generated by the camera CAM1 by capturing an image of the biometric subject and the physical code, and the quality of the biometric information related to the biometric subject included in the captured image. The determination unit 113 may determine whether to register the captured image as a registration image based on the quality of the captured image and the quality of the biometric information.

[0063] When the determination unit 113 determines that the captured image should be registered as a registered image, the conversion unit 114 of the information processing device 100 may convert the captured image so that the characteristics of the captured image approach the characteristics of a reference image generated by the camera CAM2 capturing an image of a physical code as a subject. Here, the "image characteristics" may refer to characteristics that appear in the image due to the inherent characteristics of the imaging device (e.g., cameras CAM1 and CAM2), such as noise and color balance.

[0064] The operation of the conversion unit 114 will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 10. Here, image 510 shown in Fig. 5 is taken as an example of a captured image generated by camera CAM1 capturing an image of a biometric subject and a physical code as a subject. Also, image 530 shown in Fig. 10 is taken as an example of a reference image generated by camera CAM2 capturing an image of a physical code as a subject.

[0065] For example, the conversion unit 114 may estimate the characteristics of the image 510 based on a region of the image 510 that includes a barcode 511, which is an example of a physical code. The conversion unit 114 may estimate the characteristics of the image 530 based on the image 530. The conversion unit 114 may convert the image 510 (in other words, may change the characteristics of the image 510) so that the estimated characteristics of the image 510 approach (typically, so that they match) the estimated characteristics of the image 530.

[0066] The information processing device 100 may register the captured image converted by the conversion unit 114 (for example, the converted image 510) in the database 221 of the authentication device 220 as a registered image.

[0067] (Technical Effect) For example, even if the subject and imaging environment are the same, the characteristics of the image may change depending on the inherent characteristics of the imaging device (in other words, individual differences). For example, the authentication device 220 may perform biometric authentication of the target using an image generated by camera CAM2 capturing an image of the target of biometric authentication and a registered image registered in database 221. If an image generated by camera CAM1 capturing an image of a living body is registered in the database 221 of the authentication device 220 as a registered image, the authentication device 220 will perform biometric authentication of the target using the image related to camera CAM2 and the image captured by camera CAM1 as the registered image. In this case, there is a possibility that biometric authentication in the authentication device 220 will not be performed appropriately due to differences between the characteristics of the image captured by camera CAM1 and the characteristics of the image captured by camera CAM2.

[0068] In contrast, in the information processing device 100 according to the fifth embodiment, the conversion unit 114 converts the captured image generated by the camera CAM1 capturing an image of a biometric and physical code as a subject so that the characteristics of the captured image approach (typically, match) the characteristics of a reference image generated by the camera CAM2 capturing an image of a physical code as a subject. Therefore, even if the converted captured image is registered in the database 221 of the authentication device 220 as a registered image, the difference between the characteristics of the image generated by the camera CAM2 capturing an image of a biometric authentication target and the characteristics of the converted captured image as the registered image is extremely small. In other words, it can be said that the difference between the characteristics of the image generated by the camera CAM2 capturing an image of a biometric authentication target and the characteristics of the registered image has extremely small or no effect on the biometric authentication in the authentication device 220.

[0069] According to the information processing device 100 of the fifth embodiment, as described above, a captured image generated by the camera CAM1 capturing an image of a biometric and physical code as a subject can be registered as a registration image in the database 221 of the authentication device 220 including the camera CAM2, which is different from the camera CAM1. That is, according to the information processing device 100, a captured image registered as a registration image in the database 211 of the authentication device 210 including the camera CAM1 can also be registered as a registration image in the database 221 of the authentication device 220 including the camera CAM2. Therefore, for example, if a person who wishes to use both the authentication devices 210 and 220 registers a registration image, the person can use both the authentication devices 210 and 220 by performing the registration process in only one of the authentication devices 210 and 220. Therefore, according to the information processing device 100 of the fifth embodiment, the burden on a person who uses multiple authentication devices can be reduced. In addition to the registration image (i.e., the captured image), feature quantities extracted from the captured image may be registered in the database 211.

[0070] 8, the information processing device 100 is depicted as a device different from the authentication devices 210 and 220. However, the information processing device 100 may constitute a part of one of the authentication devices 210 and 220. In other words, one of the authentication devices 210 and 220 may include the information processing device 100.

[0071] Sixth Embodiment A sixth embodiment relating to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Hereinafter, the sixth embodiment relating to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described using an information processing device 100. Note that, for the sixth embodiment, descriptions that overlap with the first to fifth embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[0072] The information processing device 100 according to the sixth embodiment may include a calculation device 110c instead of the calculation device 110. The calculation device 110c may include one or more processors, similar to the calculation device 110. As shown in Fig. 11 , the calculation device 110c may include an acquisition unit 111, an evaluation unit 112, a determination unit 113, and a setting unit 115, which may be logically implemented functional blocks or physically implemented processing circuits. The setting unit 115 may be implemented in a form in which logical functional blocks and physical processing circuits are mixed.

[0073] When the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, the determination unit 113, and the setting unit 115 are realized as functional blocks, the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, the determination unit 113, and the setting unit 115 may be realized by a single processor (e.g., the processor 1101). Alternatively, the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, the determination unit 113, and the setting unit 115 may be realized by different processors. Alternatively, parts of the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, the determination unit 113, and the setting unit 115 may be realized by one processor, and the remaining parts of the acquisition unit 111, the evaluation unit 112, the determination unit 113, and the setting unit 115 may be realized by one or more other processors different from the one processor. The arithmetic device 110c may include a conversion unit 114, similar to the arithmetic device 110b according to the fifth embodiment.

[0074] The determination unit 113 of the information processing device 100 may determine whether to register the captured image as a registration image for biometric authentication based on the quality of the captured image and the quality of the biometric information evaluated by the evaluation unit 112. For example, if the quality of the captured image does not satisfy a predetermined quality, the determination unit 113 may determine not to register the captured image as a registration image. In this case, the determination unit 113 may output, for example, a signal indicating that the quality of the captured image does not satisfy the predetermined quality.

[0075] When a signal indicating that the quality of the captured image does not satisfy a predetermined quality is output, the setting unit 115 of the information processing device 100 may refer to the quality of the captured image evaluated by the evaluation unit 112 and set parameters related to imaging of the camera CAM so that the quality of the captured image satisfies the predetermined quality. The parameters related to imaging may include, for example, at least one of focal length, aperture, and shutter speed. The setting unit 115 may transmit the set parameters related to imaging to the camera CAM. The camera CAM may re-image the biometric and physical code using the parameters related to imaging set by the setting unit 115.

[0076] (Technical Effect) According to the information processing device 100 of the sixth embodiment, for example, it is possible to improve the quality of a captured image resulting from at least one of the specifications of the imaging device and the imaging conditions, thereby improving, for example, the quality of at least one of the registered image as the registered information and the quality of the registered feature as the registered information.

[0077] Seventh Embodiment A seventh embodiment relating to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Hereinafter, the seventh embodiment relating to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described using an information processing device 100. Note that, for the seventh embodiment, descriptions that overlap with the first to sixth embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[0078] The information processing apparatus 100 according to the seventh embodiment may include a calculation device 110d instead of the calculation device 110. The calculation device 110d may include one or more processors, similar to the calculation device 110. As shown in Fig. 12 , the calculation device 110d may include an acquisition unit 111, an evaluation unit 112, a determination unit 113, and a guidance unit 116, which may be logically realized functional blocks or physically realized processing circuits. The guidance unit 116 may be realized in a form in which logical functional blocks and physical processing circuits are mixed.

[0079] When the acquisition unit 111, evaluation unit 112, determination unit 113, and guiding unit 116 are implemented as functional blocks, the acquisition unit 111, evaluation unit 112, determination unit 113, and guiding unit 116 may be implemented by a single processor (e.g., processor 1101). Alternatively, the acquisition unit 111, evaluation unit 112, determination unit 113, and guiding unit 116 may be implemented by different processors. Alternatively, parts of the acquisition unit 111, evaluation unit 112, determination unit 113, and guiding unit 116 may be implemented by a single processor, and the remaining parts of the acquisition unit 111, evaluation unit 112, determination unit 113, and guiding unit 116 may be implemented by one or more other processors different from the single processor. The arithmetic device 110d may include a conversion unit 114, similar to the arithmetic device 110b according to the fifth embodiment. The arithmetic device 110d may include a setting unit 115, similar to the arithmetic device 110c according to the sixth embodiment.

[0080] The determination unit 113 of the information processing device 100 may determine whether to register the captured image as a registration image for biometric authentication based on the quality of the captured image and the quality of the biometric information evaluated by the evaluation unit 112. For example, if the quality of the biometric information does not satisfy a predetermined quality, the determination unit 113 may determine not to register the captured image as a registration image. In this case, the determination unit 113 may output, for example, a signal indicating that the quality of the biometric information does not satisfy the predetermined quality.

[0081] When a signal indicating that the quality of the biometric information does not meet a predetermined quality is output, the guidance unit 116 of the information processing device 100 may refer to the quality of the biometric information evaluated by the evaluation unit 112 and guide the living body so that the quality of the biometric information meets the predetermined quality.

[0082] For example, if at least one of the facial orientation and eye opening degree of the living body does not satisfy a predetermined quality, the guiding unit 116 may control the output device 150 to display a predetermined message, such as "Please face the camera" or "Please open your eyes wide," or to output a sound corresponding to the predetermined message. For example, if the quality of the biometric information does not satisfy a predetermined quality due to the relative positional relationship between the living body and the image capture device, the guiding unit 116 may guide the living body by at least one of a display and a sound so that the relative positional relationship between the living body and the image capture device becomes appropriate (e.g., so that the living body moves closer to the image capture device or moves away from the image capture device). For example, if the brightness of the living body (i.e., the subject) does not satisfy a predetermined quality due to external light such as sunlight, the guiding unit 116 may guide the living body by at least one of a display and a sound so that the brightness of the living body satisfies the predetermined quality (e.g., so that the living body is not exposed to direct sunlight).

[0083] For example, if the quality of the captured image does not satisfy a predetermined quality, the determination unit 113 may determine not to register the captured image as a registered image. In this case, the determination unit 113 may output, for example, a signal indicating that the quality of the captured image does not satisfy the predetermined quality.

[0084] When a signal indicating that the quality of the captured image does not meet a predetermined quality is output, the setting unit 115 may refer to the quality of the captured image evaluated by the evaluation unit 112 and guide the living body so that the quality of the captured image meets the predetermined quality.

[0085] For example, if subject blurring occurs, the guidance unit 116 may control the output device 150 to display a predetermined message such as "Please do not move your body" or "Please refrain from blinking" or to output a sound corresponding to the predetermined message.

[0086] (Technical Effect) According to the information processing device 100 according to the seventh embodiment, for example, it is possible to improve at least one of the quality of the biometric information and the quality of the captured image, and as a result, for example, it is possible to improve at least one of the quality of the registered image as the registered information and the quality of the registered feature as the registered information.

[0087] Eighth Embodiment An eighth embodiment relating to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described with reference to Figures 13 to 15. Note that, for the eighth embodiment, descriptions that overlap with the first to seventh embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[0088] In the eighth embodiment, an example of a method for capturing images of a biometric body and a physical code will be described. As shown in Fig. 13, a physical code C may be displayed on the display device 310. Images of the biometric body P and the physical code C may be captured while the biometric body P is positioned next to the display device 310. A mark indicating the standing position of the biometric body P may be provided on the ground or floor. For example, when the face of the biometric body P is captured, the physical code C may be displayed near the face of the biometric body P. In other words, the display position of the physical code C on the display device 310 may be changed according to at least one of the height of the biometric body and the body part to be captured.

[0089] The display device 310 may be, for example, at least one of an electronic paper display and a low-reflection display. That is, the display device 310 may be a display device that can prevent at least a part of the physical code C from being lost from the captured image due to reflection.

[0090] 14 , with the living organism P positioned behind a transmissive display 320 serving as a display device, a camera CAM serving as an imaging device may capture an image of the living organism P and the physical code displayed on the transmissive display 320 from the side of the transmissive display 320 opposite to the side on which the living organism P is positioned. In this case, the captured image is an image captured from the other side of the transmissive display 320 opposite to the one side of the transmissive display 320 with the living organism P facing the one side, so as to include the living organism P and the physical code displayed on the transmissive display 320. In this case, too, the display position of the physical code C on the transmissive display 320 may be changed depending on at least one of the height of the living organism and the body part to be imaged.

[0091] For example, when the eyes of the living body P (specifically, the irises of the living body P) are to be imaged, the face of the living body P may be fixed by a device 400 for fixing the face, as shown in FIG. 15 . The device 400 may also be referred to as a headrest. With this configuration, the relative positional relationship between the living body P and the camera CAM serving as an image capturing device can be relatively easily set to a desired positional relationship. For example, the physical code may be attached to a portion of the device 400 that fixes the forehead of the living body P. In other words, the physical code may be positioned near the eyes of the living body P. In this case, the camera CAM may capture an image of the living body P fixed by the device 400 and the physical code attached to the device 400. The physical code does not have to be attached to the device 400. In this case, the physical code may be displayed on a display device.

[0092] (Technical Effect) According to the eighth embodiment, a captured image including a living body and a physical code as a subject can be generated relatively easily.

[0093] <Supplementary Notes> A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0094] (Supplementary Note 1) An information processing device comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring a captured image that includes a living body and a physical code; and an evaluation means for evaluating quality of the captured image using the physical code included in the captured image.

[0095] (Supplementary Note 2) The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the evaluation means evaluates quality of the captured image by comparing the physical code included in the captured image with a reference image including a physical code corresponding to the physical code.

[0096] (Supplementary Note 3) The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the reference image is an image generated on a computer.

[0097] (Supplementary Note 4) The information processing device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, wherein the evaluation means evaluates quality of the captured image and quality of biometric information related to the living body obtained from the captured image using the captured image.

[0098] (Supplementary Note 5) The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 4, further comprising: a determination unit that determines whether or not to register the captured image based on a quality of the captured image and a quality of the biometric information.

[0099] (Supplementary Note 6) The information processing device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, wherein the captured image is an image generated by a first imaging device, and the information processing device includes a conversion means for converting the captured image so that characteristics of the captured image approach characteristics of a reference image generated by a second imaging device different from the first imaging device.

[0100] (Supplementary Note 7) The information processing device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 6, further comprising: a setting unit that sets an image capturing condition based on a quality of the captured image.

[0101] (Supplementary Note 8) The information processing device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 7, further comprising: a guidance unit that guides the living body based on quality of the captured image.

[0102] (Supplementary Note 9) The information processing device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 8, wherein the physical code is printed or displayed on a display device.

[0103] (Supplementary Note 10) The information processing device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 9, wherein the captured image is generated by capturing an image of the living body in a state where a face of the living body is fixed by a device.

[0104] (Appendix 11) The information processing device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 10, wherein the display device is a transmissive display, and the captured image is an image captured from the other side of the transmissive display opposite to the one side, with the living body facing the one side of the transmissive display, so as to include the living body and the physical code displayed on the transmissive display.

[0105] (Supplementary Note 12) The information processing device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 11, wherein, when the biometric information relating to the living body obtained from the captured image is information relating to the eyes of the living body, the physical code is arranged in the vicinity of the eyes.

[0106] (Supplementary Note 13) The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 4, further comprising: a guidance unit that guides the living body based on the quality of the living body information.

[0107] (Supplementary Note 14) The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 4, further comprising a determination means for determining whether or not the captured image is to be used for authentication based on the quality of the captured image and the quality of the biometric information, and when it is determined that the captured image is to be used for authentication, biometric authentication of the living body is performed based on the captured image.

[0108] (Supplementary Note 15) An information processing system comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring a captured image that includes a living body and a physical code; and an evaluation means for evaluating quality of the captured image using the physical code included in the captured image.

[0109] (Supplementary Note 16) An information processing method comprising: acquiring a captured image that includes a living body and a physical code; and evaluating quality of the captured image using the physical code included in the captured image.

[0110] (Supplementary Note 17) A recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method of acquiring a captured image that includes a living body and a physical code, and evaluating the quality of the captured image using the physical code included in the captured image.

[0111] Furthermore, some or all of the configurations described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 13, which are dependent on Supplementary Note 1, may also be dependent on Supplementary Notes 15, 16, and 17 in the same dependent relationship as Supplementary Notes 2 to 8. Furthermore, not limited to Supplementary Notes 1, 15, 16, and 17, 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.

[0112] This disclosure may be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not contradict the gist or idea of ​​the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and information processing devices, information processing systems, information processing methods, and recording media that involve such modifications are also included in the technical idea of ​​this disclosure.

[0113] 10, 100 Information processing device 11, 111 Acquisition unit 12, 112 Evaluation unit

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring a captured image that includes a living body and a physical code; and an evaluation means for evaluating the quality of the captured image using the physical code included in the captured image.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation means evaluates the quality of the captured image by comparing the physical code contained in the captured image with a reference image containing a physical code corresponding to the physical code.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the reference image is an image generated on a computer.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation means uses the quality of the captured image and the captured image to evaluate the quality of the biometric information relating to the living body obtained from the captured image.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4, further comprising a determination means for determining whether or not to register the captured image based on the quality of the captured image and the quality of the biometric information.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the captured image is an image generated by a first imaging device, and the information processing device comprises a conversion means for converting the captured image so that the characteristics of the captured image approach the characteristics of a reference image generated by a second imaging device different from the first imaging device.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for setting imaging conditions based on the quality of the captured image.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a guidance means for guiding the living body based on the quality of the captured image.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the physical code is printed or displayed on a display device.

10. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the captured image is generated by capturing an image of the living body while the face of the living body is fixed by an instrument.

11. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein the display device is a transmissive display, and the captured image is an image captured from the other side of the transmissive display opposite the one side, with the living body facing the one side of the transmissive display, so as to include the living body and the physical code displayed on the transmissive display.

12. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when the biometric information relating to the living body obtained from the captured image is information relating to the eyes of the living body, the physical code is arranged in the vicinity of the eyes.

13. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the captured image is an image generated by a first imaging device, and the information processing device comprises a conversion means for converting the captured image so that the characteristics of the captured image approach the characteristics of a reference image generated by a second imaging device different from the first imaging device.

14. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the captured image is an image generated by a first imaging device, and the information processing device comprises a conversion means for converting the captured image so that the characteristics of the captured image approach the characteristics of a reference image generated by a second imaging device different from the first imaging device.

15. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the captured image is an image generated by a first imaging device, and the information processing device comprises a conversion means for converting the captured image so that the characteristics of the captured image approach the characteristics of a reference image generated by a second imaging device different from the first imaging device.

16. An information processing device as described in claim 4, further comprising a determination means for determining whether or not the captured image is to be used for authentication based on the quality of the captured image and the quality of the biometric information, and when it is determined that the biometric information is to be used for authentication, biometric authentication of the living body is performed based on the captured image.

17. The information processing device according to claim 4, further comprising a guidance means for guiding the living body based on the quality of the living body information.

18. An information processing system comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring a captured image that includes a living body and a physical code; and an evaluation means for evaluating the quality of the captured image using the physical code included in the captured image.

19. An information processing method comprising: acquiring a captured image that includes a living body and a physical code; and evaluating the quality of the captured image using the physical code included in the captured image.

20. A recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method for acquiring an image captured so as to include a living body and a physical code, and evaluating the quality of the captured image using the physical code included in the captured image.

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