Access control

Abstract

Access Control System An access control system comprises a camera (2, 7, 12, 17, 32, 47), a display (33) and an audio speaker (36). The camera (2, 7, 12, 17, 32, 47) is arranged with a view to capture an image with biometric data of a user, in particular a face, which biometric data is compared to a reference image. Access is provided when a match is made between the captured image and reference image within a predetermined threshold, wherein if a match is not made within a period of time, a startle effect is produced, which startle effect is adapted to urge the user to change their position so that the biometric is within the view.

Description

[0001] Access Control

[0002] The verification of the true identity of a natural person is becoming essential in an increasing range of contexts. Anti-money laundering regulations require that large transactions, privileged operations and the opening of financial services accounts be attributed to persons whose identities have been adequately established. Security concerns require that persons traveling or entering sensitive installations should not conceal their true identities, so that their past records may first be scrutinized.

[0003] The most generally accepted source of evidence of the true identity of a person is that issued by governments. In order to issue passports or national identity cards, governments require trusted documentation, adequate corroboration and, if necessary, investigation. In countries where national identity cards do not exist, such as the United States or United Kingdom, reliance is placed on the driving license, and a substantial obligation of due diligence is placed on the Motor Vehicle or Driver administrative bodies that issue driving licenses.

[0004] Thus, the physical possession of a government-issued identity document (ID) such as a passport, identity card or high-trust driving license is generally considered a trustworthy corroboration of the identity asserted by an individual.

[0005] In a number of countries, digital identities are being created with the aspiration of being used instead of physical documents. In the European Union, the elDAS Regulations permit the use of compliant digital identities throughout the member states. Normally, to establish an elDAS digital identity in the first place, a person must present themselves together with their government issued identity document.

[0006] The trust vested by the relying party in such a document depends on the document itself being genuine and un-falsified. For this reason, governments have for centuries invested in increasingly sophisticated methods of printing and laminating such documents, in a race to keep ahead of theincreasing sophistication of forgers. In the last decade electronic means have been added, with the insertion of microchips into documents complying with the ICAO 9303 standard. Such microchips contain the information printed in the document, plus a digital certificate signed by the issuing authority. Under current cryptographic practice, such certificates are considered impossible to forge and hence represent the best possible guarantee of the authenticity of the information contained in the chip, which is readable contactlessly using NFC technology.

[0007] However, there are many circumstances in which such a chip is absent, or the means to read it are unavailable. For this reason, physical means to confirm authenticity remain important. There are three main measures employed. The first is security printing, which embeds layers of pattern in the printed document. Imperfect copies are exposed by distortions, errors or erasures in such patterns. The second is spectrographic response, which determines the way the document responds to illumination by ultra-violet light. The third method is to embed or emboss a holographic element in the document, whose reflective properties, in terms of color, directionality and intensity and combinations thereof are highly characteristic. Typical examples are holograms embedded in credit cards, and holographic embossing in the surface of driving licenses. Normally, such embossing includes or covers the identity photograph found on practically all identity documents.

[0008] The use of biometrics for access is now well established at airports where eGates have been widely implemented and have been shown to reduce the cost of handling passengers and speeding the passenger journey. Border crossing technology based on biometric capture relies on a subject that is in a state that enables biometric matching of their identity to a reference image. The sdopted standards for passport or identity document images are referenced in various ICAO / ISO / ANSI standards but generally summarise that the subject should be facing forward, looking directly at the camera, face fully unobstructed, e.g. from glasses including sunglasses, hair across face or no face coverings. Problems can arise where passengers are either not aware or not paying attention to visual feedback provided to them, or even may be partially sighted making these difficult to follow.A particular problem arises in the context of border crossings by vehicle, both at land borders and by sea where an increasing number of vehicles arrive via roll-on-roll-off ferries, where ships transport vehicles and their occupants, which are driven on and off the ship. Border control systems such as the US DHS and UK Home Office are currently slow due to the requirement to either stand in front of an e-gate and wait or for manual inspection. These processes limit throughput and hence capacity of the border crossing.

[0009] EP3584746 discloses a vehicle occupant count monitoring system which includes: an imaging unit that captures a depth image including a distance to an occupant in a cabin of a vehicle; a facial recognizing unit that recognizes a face of the occupant from the depth image captured by the imaging unit; an upper half body recognizing unit that recognizes an upper half body of the occupant from the depth image captured by the imaging unit; and a counting unit that counts the number of occupants by combining a recognition result of the face using the facial recognizing unit and a recognition result of the upper half body using the upper half body recognizing unit. This solution does not, however, address the problem of throughput.

[0010] The invention therefore seeks to provide an access control system for use with one or more occupants in a vehicle.

[0011] According to the invention there is provided an access control system comprising a camera, display and an audio speaker, wherein the camera is arranged with a view to capture an image with biometric data of a user, which biometric data is compared to a reference image, access being provided when a match is made between the captured image and reference image within a predetermined threshold, wherein if a match is not made within a period of time, an effect is produced, which effect is adapted to urge the user to the view.

[0012] The display may display the view currently being captured by the camera. The effect may be a startle effect. The effect may comprise a sound or visual signal, in particular a sudden sound or visual signal, which may instruct the user to change their position with respect to the view orprovide an audible instruction. The image capture may permit the determination of whether the user is wearing glasses including sunglasses or wearing a hat or face covering.

[0013] In an embodiment, the user is an occupant of a vehicle and a plurality of cameras are provided. For an access control system for controlling access by a car, at least four cameras may be provided, wherein the failure to achieve a match at any one camera may trigger a startle signal from the screen or speaker associated with the camera. The cameras may allow for the use of sensors other than RGB, such IR cameras or depth detection, to help detect and match users within a vehicle.

[0014] In an embodiment the language of the occupant of a vehicle may be inferred from the vehicle number plate or from spoken language from the vehicle and the startle signal adjusted to be intelligible in that language. Optionally, the startle signal may be given in a plurality of languages.

[0015] Imagery of the users can be captured as they approach a gate using cameras located before the user gets to the gate (which need not be a physical gate). The biometric profile and / or image and other data about the occupant can be stored locally either in the gate or local system temporarily. As the user or vehicle gets to the gate, a further user image is captured and compared against the stored images. The result, image and other data can then be presented either to an officer, the gate opened or the user just allowed to pass.

[0016] The invention advantageously increases compliance with the requirements for biometric data capture and reduces dwell time at access control points such as borders thereby enabling greater throughput at the border.

[0017] Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the drawings in which:

[0018] Fig. 1 shows a station for a passenger carFig. 2 shows a station for a truck

[0019] An exemplary use case of the invention is a border crossing or port of entry, although the invention is applicable to other sites requiring secure access. Border crossing technology based on biometric capture relies on a subject that is in a state that enables biometric matching of their identity to a reference image, which reference image will be held in a database, which will be government controlled for a border crossing. Standards (e.g. for passport images) are referenced in various ICAO / ISO / ANSI standards - but generally summarise the subject should be facing forward, looking directly at the camera, face fully unobstructed (e.g. from (sun)glasses, hair across face, no face coverings). A common problem is that passengers are either not aware of these requirements or do not pay attention to or are unable to see clearly visual feedback provided to them.

[0020] Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a station for a passenger car 1. A first camera 2 and screen 3 are located on the right-hand side of the car 1. The camera 2 is mounted on a tripod 4 with the screen 3 being disposed below the camera 2 on the tripod. The tripod 4 is located approximately adjacent to the front door of the car. A light 5 is located above the camera 2 and is arranged to illuminate the space in front of the camera 2. The screen 3 is provided with a speaker 6. The camera 2 and screen 3 are located at the approximate height of the window of the car 1. The view of the camera should capture an image of an occupant of the car.

[0021] A second camera 7 and screen 8 are located on the right-hand side of the car 1. The camera 7 is mounted on a tripod 9 with the screen 8 being disposed below the camera 7 on the tripod. The tripod 9 is located approximately adjacent to the vehicle towards the rear of the vehicle. A light 10 is located above the camera 7 and is arranged to illuminate the space in front of the camera 7. The screen 8 is provided with a speaker 11. The camera 7 and screen 8 are located at the approximate height of the rear window of the car 1.

[0022] A third camera 12 and screen 13 are located on the left-hand side of the car 1. The camera 12 is mounted on a tripod 14 with the screen 13 being disposed below the camera 12 on the tripod. Thetripod 14 is located approximately adjacent to the front door of the car. A light 15 is located above the camera 12 and is arranged to illuminate the space in front of the camera 12. The screen 13 is provided with a speaker 16. The camera 12 and screen 13 are located at the approximate height of the front window of the car 1.

[0023] A fourth camera 17 and screen 18 are located on the left-hand side of the car 1. The camera 17 is mounted on a tripod 19 with the screen 118 being disposed below the camera 17 on the tripod. The tripod 19 is located approximately adjacent to the vehicle 1 towards the rear of the vehicle. A light 20 is located above the camera 17 and is arranged to illuminate the space in front of the camera 17. The screen 18 is provided with a speaker 21. The camera 17 and screen 8 are located at the approximate height of the rear window of the car 1.

[0024] A fifth camera 22 is located in front of the vehicle and is positioned to read the number plate of the car 1. The cameras 2, 7, 12, 17 may allow for the use of sensors other than RGB, such as IR cameras or depth detection, to help detect and match users within a vehicle.

[0025] In use in a first embodiment, the car will drive into the station and stop in the position shown. The occupants of the car should look at the respective cameras 2,7,12,17 and receive visual feedback on the respective screen. It would be possible to scan the identity documents of the occupants at this point in the known manner. Alternatively, occupants may use a pre-registration system. With a pre-registration system, a biometric identification app is downloaded to the occupant’s mobile phone. In an exemplary case, the occupant then takes a picture of the photo page of their passport and then has the app ‘read’ the chip in the passport by holding the phone over the chip. The app then makes a scan of their face to confirm the identity and, optionally, the genuine presence of the occupant.

[0026] If the respective camera does not capture a biometric image that can be matched to the identity document or passport within a predetermined period of time, a pre-recorded audio message, such as 'Please look directly at camera' is triggered. The message can be triggered after a certain periodof visual feedback being displayed on screen and played back through the respective audio speaker. The provision of audio feedback to occupants, for example in a vehicle border-crossing use case, can both a) encourage passengers to modify their own appearance to improve biometric results / matching, but also b) provide a more accessible solution for travellers who may be visually impaired or even simply distracted. The use of this startle signal aims to focus the attention of the user on the camera field of view so that their biometric data can be captured. A visual startle signal may also be used. Startle in this context is designed to attract the focus or attention of the user, rather than cause alarm.

[0027] In the case that the biometric identity of each occupant is verified successfully, the system will then indicate to the car driver that they may leave. In the event of the failure of any verification, the driver of the car can be instructed to move for a manual inspection of the relevant documents.

[0028] Figure 2 shows an alternative embodiment suitable for a heavy good vehicle. A first camera 32 and screen 33 are located on the left-hand side of the truck 31. The camera 32 is mounted on a tripod 34 with the screen 33 being disposed below the camera 32 on the tripod. The tripod 34 is located approximately adjacent to the front door of the car. A light 35 is located above the camera 32 and is arranged to illuminate the space in front of the camera 32. The screen 33 is provided with a speaker 36. The camera 32 and screen 33 are located at the approximate height of the window of the truck 31.

[0029] A second camera 47 and screen 48 are located on the right-hand side of the truck 31. The camera 47 is mounted on a tripod 49 with the screen 48 being disposed below the camera 47 on the tripod. The tripod 49 is located approximately adjacent to the vehicle. A light 50 is located above the camera 47 and is arranged to illuminate the space in front of the camera 47. The screen 48 is provided with a speaker 51. The camera 47 and screen 48 are located at the approximate height of the window of the vehicle 31. The cameras may allow for the use of sensors other than RGB, such IR cameras or depth detection, to help detect and match users within a vehicle.In many environments and in particular at border crossings, a range of languages and nationalities can be expected and audio prompts may not be easily understood by non-native speakers. The fifth camera 22 can provide automatic number plate recognition from which the nationality of the occupants can be inferred. The audio messaging can then be changed to the official language(s) of that country. Alternatively, the system may allow for the switching of the language of the audio prompts based upon automated detection of the spoken response of an occupant of the vehicle.

[0030] In a further embodiment, the image captured by the cameras 2, 7, 12, 17, 32, 47 can be analysed in the event of a failed biometric capture and certain common mistakes identified. For example it is possible to recognise when someone is wearing glasses or sunglasses or a hat. This enables messaging to be adapted to the context of the images of the person already captured. For example, if a subject is wearing sunglasses, the prompt can be amended from a generic one to request 'Please remove sunglasses'.

[0031] In certain vehicles, the arrangement of the pillars or headrests can present additional difficulties, for example when someone is sitting in a middle seat or in a third row of seats. For such cases, the system will capture multiple images of the face from one or more of the cameras - the perspective and face visibility will change as the person and vehicle move. A single face can then be reconstructed from individual parts from the images using either seating position or biometric matching to ensure a face is built from parts of images of the same person. This reconstructed face can then be used for matching thereby increasing pass rates.

[0032] In a further embodiment, a plurality of cameras can be stationed on the approach to a gate. Imagery of the users can then be captured as they approach using cameras before the user gets to the gate (which need not be a physical gate). The biometric profile and / or image and other data about the occupant can be stored locally either in the gate or local system temporarily. As the user or vehicle gets to the gate, a further user image is captured and compared against the images cached above -this is fast. The result, image and other data can then be presented either to an officer, the gate opened or the user just allowed to pass. The system may allow for recaptured imagery to be linkedto imagery subsequently captured via recognition of the number plate or by recognition and matching of the occupants of the vehicle.

[0033] In an embodiment, the system may allow vehicle detection to be employed to modify the prompts and process so as to allow for audio prompts, occluded faces etc. to work when dealing with motorcycles and other types of vehicles such as minibuses.

Claims

Claims1. An access control system comprising a camera, display and an audio speaker, wherein the camera is arranged with a view to capture an image with biometric data of a user, which biometric data is compared to a reference image, access being provided when a match is made between the captured image and reference image within a predetermined threshold, wherein if a match is not made within a period of time, an effect is produced, which effect is adapted to urge the user to the view.

2. An access control system according to Claim 1 , wherein the effect comprises a sound or visual signal, in particular a sudden sound or visual signal, which may instruct the user to change their position with respect to the view or provide an audible instruction.

3. An access control system for a vehicle according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the user is an occupant of the vehicle and a plurality of cameras are provided, wherein the failure to achieve a match at any one of said cameras triggers a signal from the screen or speaker associated with the camera.

4. An access control system according to Claim 3, wherein the camera allows for the use of IR cameras or depth detection, to help detect and match users within the vehicle.

5. An access control system according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein a language of the occupant of a vehicle may be inferred from the vehicle number plate or from spoken language from the vehicle and the signal adjusted to be intelligible in that language.

6. An access control system according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein imagery of the users can be captured as they approach a gate using cameras located before the user gets to the gate, a biometric profile and / or image and other data about the occupant being stored locally either in the gate or local system so that as the user or vehicle gets to the gate, a further user image is captured and compared against the stored images.

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