IMAGE TAKING DEVICE, IMAGE TAKING METHOD, AND IMAGE TAKING PROGRAM

• US 20100074476A1
• Filed: 09/21/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Fukuda, Mitsuaki, AOKI, Takahiro, Hama, Soichi
• Application Number:
  US12/563,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20100074476A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/115
• 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 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19686 Interfaces masking personal details for privacy, e.g. blurring faces, vehicle license plates

Abstract

An image taking device includes: a subject detection section that determines whether a biometric portion that can be used for biometric authentication of a subject is included in the image taking range of the camera; and a controller that handles the taken image as the authentication image when receiving an authentication image acquisition instruction and performs processing, in the case where there has not issued the authentication image acquisition instruction, such that when it is determined by the subject detection section that a biometric portion is not included in the image taking range of the camera, the controller uses the taken image as the monitoring image and when it is determined by the subject detection section that a biometric portion is included in the image taking range of the camera, the controller stops image taking operation of the camera.

Claims

1. An image taking device that acquires a taken image from a camera capable of taking a predetermined region and uses the acquired taken image as a monitoring image or authentication image, the device comprising:

a subject detection section that determines whether a biometric portion that can be used for biometric authentication of a subject is included in the image taking range of the camera; and

a controller that handles the taken image as the authentication image when receiving an authentication image acquisition instruction and performs processing, in the case where there has not issued the authentication image acquisition instruction, such that when it is determined by the subject detection section that a biometric portion is not included in the image taking range of the camera, the controller uses the taken image as the monitoring image and when it is determined by the subject detection section that a biometric portion is included in the image taking range of the camera, the controller stops image taking operation of the camera.

2. The image taking device according to claim 1, wherein

the subject detection section includes a distance measurement section that measures the distance between the subject and the camera, and a determination section that determines that the subject is included in the taken image in the case where the distance measured by the distance measurement section is smaller than a predetermined value.

3. The image taking device according to claim 2, wherein

at the time of taking the monitoring image, the controller changes an image taking condition of the camera such that the biometric portion cannot be taken by the camera.

4. The image taking device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller handles, as the monitoring image, a taken image which has been taken under the image taking condition of the camera that its exposure value is greatly changed from that at the time of taking the authentication image.

5. An image taking method that acquires a taken image from a camera capable of taking a predetermined region and uses the acquired taken image as a monitoring image or authentication image, the method comprising:

determining whether a biometric portion that can be used for biometric authentication of a subject is included in the image taking range of the camera; and

processing the taken image as the authentication image when receiving an authentication image acquisition instruction and alternatively, in the case where there has not issued the authentication image acquisition instruction, when it is determined that a biometric portion is not included in the image taking range of the camera, processing the taken image as the monitoring image and when it is determined that a biometric portion is included in the image taking range of the camera, stopping image taking operation of the camera.

6. The image taking method according to claim 5, wherein

the determination is made such that the subject is included in the taken image when a distance measured between the subject and the camera is smaller than a predetermined value.

7. The image taking method according to claim 6, wherein

in the processing of the taken image as the monitoring image, an image taking condition is changed such that the biometric portion cannot be taken by the camera.

8. The image taking method according to claim 6, wherein

in the processing of the taken image as the monitoring image, a taken image which has been taken under the image taking condition of the camera that its exposure value is greatly changed from that at the time of taking the authentication image is processed as the monitoring image.

9. A computer-readable medium having recorded thereon an image taking program allowing a computer to execute an image taking method that acquires a taken image from a camera capable of taking a predetermined region and uses the acquired taken image as a monitoring image or authentication image, the program allowing the computer to execute a process comprising:

determining whether a biometric portion that can be used for biometric authentication of a subject is included in the image taking range of the camera; and

processing the taken image as the authentication image when receiving an authentication image acquisition instruction and alternatively, in the case where there has not issued the authentication image acquisition instruction, when it is determined that a biometric portion is not included in the image taking range of the camera, processing the taken image as the monitoring image and when it is determined that a biometric portion is included in the image taking range of the camera, stopping image taking operation of the camera.

10. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein

the determination is made such that the subject is included in the taken image when a distance measured between the subject and the camera is smaller than a predetermined value.

11. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein

in the processing of the taken image as the monitoring image, an image taking condition is changed such that the biometric portion cannot be taken by the camera.

12. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein

in the processing of the taken image as the monitoring image, a taken image which has been taken under the image taking condition of the camera that its exposure value is greatly changed from that at the time of taking the authentication image is processed as the monitoring image.