Imaging system and program

• US 20050089198A1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ono, Shuji, Kaku, Toshihiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,599,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An imaging system is provided which can efficiently capture an authentication image of a subject by an imaging device provided around a position toward which the subject is moving. The imaging system includes; a plurality of imaging devices, provided at different positions, respectively, for capturing moving images; a direction detection unit for detecting the moving direction of the subject based on the moving image in which the subject is contained; a selection unit for selecting one of the imaging devices, that is to capture the authentication image of the subject based on the moving direction thus detected and the positions of the imaging devices; and a storage unit for storing the authentication image captured by the selected imaging device.

Claims

1. An imaging system for imaging a subject, comprising:

a plurality of imaging devices, provided at different positions, respectively, operable to image said subject;

a direction detection unit operable to detect a moving direction of said subject based on two or more images of said subject taken at different times by one of said plurality of imaging devices;

a selection unit operable to select one of said plurality of imaging devices, that is to capture an authentication image of said subject, based on said moving direction detected by said direction detection unit and said positions of said plurality of imaging devices; and

a storage unit operable to store said authentication image captured by said selected one of said plurality of imaging devices.

2. An imaging system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an authentication unit operable to authenticate said subject based on said authentication image stored in said storage unit.

3. An imaging system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said selected one of said plurality of imaging devices captures a still image of said subject as said authentication image.

4. An imaging system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said plurality of imaging devices include a plurality of imaging devices for movement detection and a plurality of imaging devices for authentication, said imaging devices for movement detection having imaging directions that are parallel to a downward direction, said imaging devices for authentication having imaging directions that are inclined with respect to the downward direction,

said direction detection unit detects said moving direction of said subject based on images of said subject captured by said plurality of imaging devices for movement detection, and

said selection unit selects one of said plurality of imaging devices for authentication, that is to capture said authentication image of said subject.

5. An imaging system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said direction detection unit selects whether to detect said moving direction of said subject imaged by said plurality of imaging devices based on whether or not said subject is a subject that was registered in advance.

6. An imaging system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said selection unit selects a first imaging device operable to capture a first authentication image of said subject and a second imaging device operable to capture a second authentication image from said plurality of imaging devices based on said moving direction of said subject, said second imaging device being provided behind said first imaging device in said moving direction.

7. An imaging system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said second imaging device images said subject with a larger amount of information than said first imaging device.

8. An imaging system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said authentication unit includes:

a first authentication unit operable to carry out primary authentication of said subject based on said first authentication image captured by said first imaging device; and

a second authentication unit operable to carry out secondary authentication of said subject based on said second authentication image captured by said second imaging device, said secondary authentication being more accurate than said primary authentication.

9. An imaging system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said direction detection unit detects said moving direction of said subject based on change in size of said subject in said plurality of images captured by anyone of said plurality of imaging devices.

10. An imaging system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said selection unit detects a frontal direction of said subject based on said moving direction detected by said direction detection unit and selects one of said plurality of imaging devices, that is able to image a front view of said subject, based on said positions of said plurality of imaging devices.

11. An imaging system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said selection unit selects said one imaging device that is able to image the front view of said subject further based on imaging directions of said imaging devices.

12. An imaging system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said selection unit controls an imaging direction of said selected imaging device to image the front view of said subject.

13. An imaging system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a decision unit operable to determine whether or not said authentication image contains a front view of a facial region of said subject, wherein

said authentication unit carries out authentication of said subject based on said authentication image in a case where said decision unit determined that said authentication image contained the front view of said facial region of said subject.

14. An imaging system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said decision unit deletes said authentication image stored in said storage unit in a case where said decision unit determined that no front view of said facial region of said subject was contained in said authentication image.

16. An imaging system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a comparison unit operable to compare said first authentication image with said second authentication image and, in a case where said subject in said first authentication image and said subject in said second authentication image are the same, associate said first authentication image and said second authentication image with each other, wherein

said second authentication unit determines said subject based on said second authentication image from candidates extracted by said first authentication unit based on said first authentication image associated with said second authentication image.

17. An imaging system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said first imaging device further captures a first compared image of said subject containing an area wider than an area in said second authentication image, to correspond to said first authentication image,

said second imaging device further captures a second compared image of said subject containing an area wider than the area in said second authentication image, to correspond to said second authentication image,

said imaging system further comprises a comparison unit operable to compare said first compared image and said second compared image and, in a case where said subject in said first compared image is the same as said subject in said second compared image, associate said first authentication image corresponding to said first compared image and said second authentication image corresponding to said second compared image with each other,

said second authentication unit determines said subject based on said second authentication image from candidates extracted by said first authentication unit based on said first authentication image associated with said second authentication image.

18. An imaging system as claimed in claim 8, wherein, in a case where a plurality of subjects are imaged in said first authentication image,

said first authentication unit extracts candidates for each of said subjects,

said imaging system further comprises a comparison unit operable to associate each of said subjects in said first authentication image with said subject in said second authentication image based on said first authentication image and said second authentication image, and

said second authentication unit determines said subject based on said second authentication image from said candidates extracted by said first authentication unit for said subject in said first authentication image who is associated with said subject in said second authentication image.

19. An imaging system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said second imaging device captures said second authentication image for each of said subjects.

20. An imaging system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said second imaging device includes;

a flash operable to emit light toward said subject at a plurality of positions; and

a flash controller operable to control a position at which said flash emits the light based on a result of the authentication by said first authentication unit.

21. An imaging system as claimed in claim 20, wherein said flash controller further controls intensity of the light emitted by said flash based on the result of the authentication by said first authentication unit.

22. An imaging system as claimed in claim 20, wherein said first authentication unit detects brightness in said first authentication image, and

said flash controller controls the position at which said flash emits the light based on the brightness in said first authentication image.

23. An imaging system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said first authentication unit detects brightness in said first authentication image, and

said flash controller controls the intensity of the light emitted by said flash based on the brightness in said first authentication image.

24. An imaging system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said second imaging device is capable of imaging said subject from a plurality of heights,

said first authentication unit detects a position of said subject in said first authentication image, and

said second imaging device calculates a height from which said second imaging device is to image said subject based on the position of said subject detected by said first authentication unit, and images said subject from the calculated height to obtain said second authentication image.

25. An imaging device as claimed in claim 24, wherein said first authentication unit detects an angle at which said first imaging device imaged said subject based on said first authentication image, and

said second imaging device calculates an angle at which said second imaging device is to image said subject based on the angle detected by said first authentication unit, and images said subject at the calculated angle to obtain said second authentication image.

26. An imaging system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said second authentication unit includes:

a registered image database operable to store for each subject a plurality of registered images taken under different lighting conditions in advance;

a position calculation unit operable to calculate a position of said subject when said second imaging device images said subject based on said first authentication image;

a lighting condition calculation unit operable to calculate a lighting condition when said second imaging device images said subject based on the position of said subject calculated by said position calculation unit;

a registered image selection unit operable to select one of said plurality of registered images from said registered image database in accordance with said lighting condition calculated by said lighting condition calculation unit; and

a decision unit operable to carry out said secondary authentication of said subject using said selected registered image.

27. An imaging system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said first imaging device images a front view of said subject as said first authentication image, and

said second imaging device images said subject at an angle different from an angle of said first imaging device to obtain said second authentication image.

28. An imaging system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said first imaging device images said subject in a direction approximately parallel to a path of said subject to obtain said first authentication image, and

said second imaging device images said subject at an angle different from an angle of said first imaging device to obtain said second authentication image.

29. An imaging system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said first imaging device includes a color filter in which adjacent pixels have different colors to obtain a color image as said first authentication image, and

said second imaging device includes no color filter to obtain a monochrome image as said second authentication image.

30. An imaging system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said imaging system comprises a plurality of second imaging devices operable to capture second authentication images of said subject at different angles, respectively, and

said second authentication unit carries out said secondary authentication of said subject based on said second authentication images respectively captured by said second imaging devices.

31. An imaging system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said second authentication unit includes:

a coincidence calculation unit operable to calculate a degree of coincidence between said subject and each of candidates based on said second authentication image;

a characteristic acquisition unit operable to, in a case where there are a plurality of candidates each having said calculated degree of coincidence equal to or larger than a predetermined value, acquire a characteristic of said subject that is different from a characteristic in said second authentication image; and

a decision unit operable to determine said subject from said plurality of candidates each having said calculated degree of coincidence equal to or larger than the predetermined value based on said characteristic of said subject acquired by said characteristic acquisition unit.

32. An imaging system as claimed in claim 31, wherein said second authentication unit further includes:

a characteristic storage unit operable to store for each of said candidates a plurality of authentication characteristics and a characteristic amount of each of said authentication characteristics in advance in such a manner that each of said authentication characteristics and its characteristic amount are associated with each other; and

a characteristic selection unit operable to select one of said plurality of authentication characteristics that is associated with said characteristic amount having a maximum variance between said plurality of candidates each having said calculated degree of coincidence equal to or larger than the predetermined value, and wherein

said characteristic acquisition unit acquires said characteristic of said subject in accordance with said one of said authentication characteristics selected by said characteristic selection unit.

15. A program for making an imaging system for imaging a subject work, wherein said program makes said imaging system work as:

a plurality of imaging devices, respectively provided at different positions, operable to image said subject;

a direction detection unit operable to detect a moving direction of said subject based on two or more images of said subject taken at different times by one of said plurality of imaging devices;

a selection unit operable to select one of said plurality of imaging devices, that is to capture an authentication image of said subject, based on said moving direction detected by said direction detection unit and said positions of said plurality of imaging devices; and

a storage unit operable to store said authentication image captured by said selected one imaging device.