AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM, AUTHENTICATION METHOD, MACHINE READABLE MEDIUM STORING THEREON AUTHENTICATION PROGRAM, CERTIFICATE PHOTOGRAPH TAKING APPARATUS, AND CERTIFICATE PHOTOGRAPH TAKING METHOD

• US 20100034432A1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ono, Shuji, Mino, Kazuhiro, Yoda, Akira, Ogura, Katsuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,693,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements

Abstract

A face image in which a user'"'"'s face turns to a direction different from the front is picked up clearly and individual authentication is executed more precisely. An authentication system for executing authentication of a user is provided, wherein the authentication system comprises a first image pickup unit for picking up a face image of the user; a second image pickup unit for picking up a face image of the user from a direction different from that of the first image pickup unit, a direction calculation unit for acquiring a direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns on the basis of the face images picked up by the first and the second image pickup units, and a selection unit for selecting at least one of the face images picked up by the first and second image pickup units on the basis of the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns.

Claims

1. An authentication system, which executes authentication of a user, comprising:

a first image pickup unit for picking up a face image of the user;

a second image pickup unit for picking up a face image of the user from a direction different from that of said first image pickup unit;

a direction calculation unit for acquiring a direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns on the basis of the face images picked up by said first and second image pickup units;

and a selection unit for selecting at least one of the face images picked up by said first and second image pickup units on the basis of the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns,

wherein, in case that the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns is the direction from the user to one of said first and second image pickup units, said selection unit selects the face image picked up by the other.

2. An authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the authentication system further comprises an authentication unit for executing the authentication of the user making use of the face image selected by said selection unit.

3. An authentication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein

said authentication system further comprises a lighting control unit for controlling the direction in which lighting apparatus illuminates the user'"'"'s face, based on the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns,

in case of the direction in which the lighting apparatus illuminates having been controlled, each of said first and second image pickup units picks up a face image of the user again, and

said selection unit selects at least one of the face images picked up again by said first and second image pickup units.

4. An authentication system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said lighting control unit controls lighting condition of each of a plurality of lighting apparatus which illuminate the user'"'"'s face in different directions on the basis of the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns.

5. An authentication system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said lighting control unit controls the direction in which the lighting apparatus illuminates the user'"'"'s face so that the direction is to be a predetermined direction which makes the user distinguishable from other persons more easily on the basis of the face image selected by said selection unit.

6. An authentication system as claimed in claim 3, wherein

said authentication system further comprises a storage unit for storing a plurality of face images,

when the face image selected by said selection unit is compared with at least a part of the plurality of face image, said authentication unit authenticates the user if at least a part of the plurality of face images include a face image showing similarity of which value is higher than a predetermined reference value to the face image selected by said selection unit, and

said lighting control unit controls the direction in which the lighting apparatus illuminate the user'"'"'s face so that the direction is to be substantially the same with the direction in which the lighting apparatus illuminate the face of the subject when at least a part of the plurality of the face images are picked up.

7. An authentication system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said lighting control unit controls the lighting apparatus to illuminate the user'"'"'s face in a uniform direction, in case that both said first and second image pickup units pick up the face images which are used when the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns is acquired by said direction calculation unit.

8. An authentication system as claimed in claim 6, wherein

said lighting control unit controls the direction to which an infrared ray emitted from the lighting apparatus illuminates the user'"'"'s face on the basis of the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns, and

each of said first and second image pickup units picks up the user'"'"'s face image in a range of infrared lay in case that the direction in which the infrared ray illuminates the user'"'"'s face is controlled by said lighting control unit.

9. An authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said authentication system further comprises a storage unit for storing the face image selected by said selection unit with correspondent to the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns.

11. An authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second image pickup unit is located so that the angular difference in the horizontal direction between the image pickup directions of said first and said second pickup units is substantially 15°

or 30°

.

12. An authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selection unit selects the face images picked up by both said first and said second image pickup units in case that the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns is the direction from the user to neither said first image pickup unit nor said second image pickup unit.

13. An authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second image pickup unit is located so that the angular difference in the horizontal direction between the image pickup directions of said first and said second pickup units is substantially 24°

.

14. An authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second image pickup unit is located so that the angular difference in the vertical direction between the image pickup directions of said first and said second pickup units is between substantially 10°

and 20°

.

15. An authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said direction calculation unit generates the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns as the direction from the user to said first or said second image pickup unit by deciding whether, for each of the face images picked up by said first and said second image pickup units, the face image is picked up from the front or not.

16. An authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said direction calculation unit acquires the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns on the basis of the parallax between the face images picked up by said first and said second image pickup units.

17. An authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said direction calculation unit comprises:

a first direction calculation unit for acquiring the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns viewed from said first image pickup unit, on the basis of the face image picked up by said first image pickup unit; and

a second direction calculation unit for acquiring the direction which the user'"'"'s face turns to viewed from said second image pickup unit, on the basis of the face image picked up by said second image pickup unit,

said authentication system further comprises a decision unit for deciding whether each of the face images picked up by said first and said second image pickup units is normal or not by comparing the difference between the image pickup directions of said first and said second image pickup units with the difference between the directions to which the user'"'"'s face turns acquired by said first and said second direction calculation units.

18. An authentication system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said direction calculation unit further comprises a correction unit for correcting each of the directions acquired by said first and said second direction calculation units on the basis of the difference between the image pickup directions of said first and said second image pickup units.

38. An authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said direction calculation unit comprises:

a first direction calculation unit for acquiring the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns viewed from said first image pickup unit, on the basis of the face image picked up by said first image pickup unit; and

a second direction calculation unit for acquiring the direction which the user'"'"'s face turns to viewed from said second image pickup unit, on the basis of the face image picked up by said second image pickup unit.

39. An authentication system as claimed in claim 38, wherein said direction calculation unit further comprises a correction unit for correcting each of the directions acquired by said first and said second direction calculation units on the basis of the difference between the image pickup directions of said first and said second image pickup units.

40. An authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the direction calculation unit dynamically acquires direction as the user'"'"'s face turns.

41. An authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein images are picked up by the first image pickup unit and the second image pickup unit as the user'"'"'s face turns through an angle.

42. An authentication system as claimed in claim 41, wherein images are picked up by the first image pickup unit and the second image pickup unit as the user'"'"'s face turns through an angle, and the direction calculation unit dynamically acquires direction as the user'"'"'s face turns.

10. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

20. An authentication method for executing authentication of a user, comprising:

a first image pickup step of picking up a face image of the user,

a second image pickup step of picking up a face image of the user from a direction different from the direction of image pickup in said first image pickup step,

a direction calculating step of acquiring the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns on the basis of the face images picked up during said first and said second image pickup steps, and

a selection step of selecting at least one of the images picked up in said first and said second image pickup steps on the basis of the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns,

wherein, in case that the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns is the direction from the user to one of the directions of image pickup in said first and second image pickup steps, said selection step selects the face image picked up by the other.

21. A computer-readable medium storing thereon an authentication program, which makes a computer perform functions of an authentication system for executing authentication of a user, wherein

said authentication system comprises:

a first image pickup unit for picking up a face image of the user,

a second image pickup unit for picking up a face image of the user from a direction different from that of said first image pickup unit,

a direction calculation unit for acquiring the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns on the basis of the face images picked up by said first and said second image pickup units, and

a selection unit for selecting at least one of the images picked up by said first and said second image pickup units on the basis of the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns

wherein, in case that the direction to which the user'"'"'s face turns is the direction from the user to one of said first and second image pickup units, said selection unit selects the face image picked up by the other.

22-37. -37. (canceled)