VEHICLE OPERATION CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD, AS WELL AS, PROGRAM

• US 20100232658A1
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Shoji, Takeshi, Koitabashi, Hiroyoshi, Ota, Shunji, Omoto, Yasumichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,238,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/25 using biometry
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/255 Eye recognition

Abstract

A similarity degree calculating unit calculates a similarity degree of a feature quantity of a face image of an imaged checking target, and a feature quantity of a face image of a registrant or a non-registrant registered in a registrant information DB or a non-registrant information DB. A check determination unit notifies a service determination unit when the similarity degree is higher than a threshold value. A related information acquiring unit acquires related information including inter-registrant information, and provides to a time-series information DB generation unit and the service determination unit. The time-series information DB generation unit updates the time-series information DB. A statistical information DB generation unit generates the statistical information DB from the time-series information DB. The service determination unit provides services based on the related information, the time-series information DB, and the statistical information DB.

Claims

1. A vehicle operation control device comprising:

an imaging unit for imaging an image of a checking target;

a face image extracting unit for extracting a face image of the checking target from an image imaged by the imaging unit;

a feature quantity extracting unit for extracting a feature quantity of the face image of the checking target extracted by the face image extracting unit;

a registrant storage unit for storing the feature quantity of the face image of a registrant as a registrant information database;

a non-registrant storage unit for storing the feature quantity of the face image of a non-registrant;

a similarity degree calculating unit for calculating a similarity degree of the feature quantity of the face image of the checking target extracted by the feature quantity extracting unit and the feature quantity of the face image of the registrant stored in the registrant information database or the non-registrant stored in the non-registrant storage unit;

a searching unit for checking the similarity degree and a predetermined threshold value in the order stored in the registrant information database or the non-registrant storage unit, searching the registrant having a higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value as the checking target, and searching the non-registrant having a higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value as the checking target if the registrant having higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value does not exist;

a related information detecting unit for detecting information indicating a relationship with the registrant of the non-registrant searched as the checking target;

an operation control unit for controlling a vehicle operation state to a state set in advance in correspondence with the registrant or a state set in advance in correspondence with the information indicating the relationship with the registrant of the non-registrant when the registrant or the non-registrant is searched by the searching unit;

a statistical information database updating unit for updating, as a statistical information database, a statistical processing result of the information indicating the relationship with the registrant for every non-registrant with respect to the information indicating the relationship with the registrant in correspondence with the registrant or the non-registrant when the vehicle operation state is controlled by the operation control unit; and

a sorting unit for sorting a storing order of the non-registrant stored in the non-registrant storage unit in correspondence with the statistical processing result of the information indicating the relationship with the registrant for every non-registrant registered in the statistical information database;

wherein

the searching unit checks the similarity degree and the predetermined threshold value for the non-registrant stored in the non-registrant storage unit in the storing order sorted by the sorting unit, and searches the non-registrant having a higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value.

2. The vehicle operation control device according to claim 1, wherein

the non-registrant storage unit stores the feature quantity of the face image of the non-registrant as a non-registrant information database;

the similarity degree calculation unit calculates the similarity degree of the feature quantity of the face image of the checking target extracted by the feature quantity extracting unit, and the feature quantity of the face image of the registrant stored in the registrant information database or the non-registrant stored in the non-registrant information database;

the related information detecting unit detects information indicating time-series anteroposterior relationship with the registrant of the non-registrant searched as the checking target;

the operation control unit controls the vehicle operation state to a state set in advance in correspondence with the registrant or to a state set in advance in correspondence with the information indicating the time-series anteroposterior relationship with the registrant of the non-registrant when the registrant or the non-registrant is searched by the searching unit;

a time-series information database updating unit for updating the information indicating the time-series anteroposterior relationship with the registrant as a time-series information database in correspondence with the face image of the registrant or the non-registrant when the vehicle operation is controlled by the operation control unit is further arranged;

the statistical information database updating unit updates the statistical processing result of the information indicating the time-series anteroposterior relationship with the registrant for every non-registrant with respect to the information of the time-series information database;

the sorting unit sorts the storing order of the non-registrant of the non-registrant database in correspondence with the statistical processing result of the information indicating the anteroposterior relationship with the registrant for every non-registrant registered in the statistical information database; and

the searching unit checks the similarity degree and the predetermined threshold value for the non-registrant stored in the non-registrant information database in the storing order sorted by the sorting unit, and searches the non-registrant having a higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value as the checking target.

3. The vehicle operation control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a related information acquiring unit for acquiring related information when the vehicle operation state is controlled by the operation control unit;

wherein

the time-series information database updating unit updates information indicating time-series anteroposterior relationship and the related information as a time-series information database in correspondence with the face image of the registrant or the non-registrant when the vehicle operation is controlled by the operation control unit;

the statistical information database updating unit updates the statistical processing result of the time-series anteroposterior relationship with the registrant and the related information for every non-registrant with respect to the information of the time-series information database;

the related information detecting unit detects the time-series anteroposterior relationship with the registrant and the related information of the non-registrant searched as the checking target in the time-series information database; and

the sorting unit sorts the storing order of the non-registrant of the non-registrant database in correspondence with the statistical processing result of the information indicating the time-series anteroposterior relationship with the registrant and the related information for every non-registrant registered in the statistical information database.

4. The vehicle operation control device according to claim 1, wherein the related information includes facial attribute information containing information of age, sex, race, accessories such as eyeglass, makeup, and cigarette, as well as, time, passenger, position, travel distance, travel zone, weather information, vehicle operation, safety device operation, or driving habit information.

5. A vehicle operation control method comprising the steps of:

imaging an image of a checking target;

extracting a face image of the checking target from an image imaged by the process of the imaging step;

extracting a feature quantity of the face image of the checking target extracted by the process of the face image extracting step;

storing the feature quantity of the face image of a registrant as a registrant information database;

storing the feature quantity of the face image of a non-registrant;

calculating a similarity degree of the feature quantity of the face image of the checking target extracted by the process of the feature quantity extracting step and the feature quantity of the face image of the registrant stored in the registrant information database or the non-registrant stored in the process of the non-registrant storing step;

checking the similarity degree and a predetermined threshold value in the order stored in the registrant information database or by the process of the non-registrant storing step, searching the registrant having a higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value as the checking target, and searching the non-registrant having a higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value as the checking target if the registrant having a higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value does not exist;

detecting information indicating a relationship with the registrant of the non-registrant searched as the checking target;

controlling a vehicle operation state to a state set in advance in correspondence with the registrant or a state set in advance in correspondence with the information indicating the relationship with the registrant of the non-registrant when the registrant or the non-registrant is searched by the process of the searching step;

updating, as a statistical information database, statistical processing result of the information indicating the relationship with the registrant for every non-registrant with respect to the information indicating the relationship with the registrant in correspondence with the registrant or the non-registrant when the vehicle operation state is controlled by the process of the operation control step; and

sorting a storing order of the non-registrant stored by the process of the non-registrant storing step in correspondence with the statistical processing result of the information indicating the relationship with the registrant for every non-registrant registered in the statistical information database;

wherein

the process of the searching step includes checking the similarity degree and the predetermined threshold value for the non-registrant stored by the process of the non-registrant storing step in the storing order sorted by the process of the sorting step, and searching the non-registrant having a higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value.

6. A program for causing a computer controlling a vehicle operation control device to execute the steps of:

imaging an image of a checking target;

extracting a face image of the checking target from an image imaged by the process of the imaging step;

extracting a feature quantity of the face image of the checking target extracted by the process of the face image extracting step;

storing the feature quantity of the face image of a registrant as a registrant information database;

storing the feature quantity of the face image of a non-registrant;

calculating a similarity degree of the feature quantity of the face image of the checking target extracted by the process of the feature quantity extracting step and the feature quantity of the face image of the registrant stored in the registrant information database or the non-registrant stored in the process of the non-registrant storing step;

checking the similarity degree and a predetermined threshold value in the order stored in the registrant information database or by the process of the non-registrant storing step, searching the registrant having a higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value as the checking target, and searching the non-registrant having a higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value as the checking target if the registrant having a higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value does not exist;

detecting information indicating a relationship with the registrant of the non-registrant searched as the checking target;

controlling a vehicle operation state to a state set in advance in correspondence with the registrant or a state set in advance in correspondence with the information indicating the relationship with the registrant of the non-registrant when the registrant or the non-registrant is searched by the process of the searching step;

updating, as a statistical information database, statistical processing result of the information indicating the relationship with the registrant for every non-registrant with respect to the information indicating the relationship with the registrant in correspondence with the registrant or the non-registrant when the vehicle operation state is controlled by the process of the operation control step; and

sorting a storing order of the non-registrant stored by the process of the non-registrant storing step in correspondence with the statistical processing result of the information indicating the relationship with the registrant for every non-registrant registered in the statistical information database;

wherein

the process of the searching step includes checking the similarity degree and the predetermined threshold value for the non-registrant stored by the process of the non-registrant storing step in the storing order sorted by the process of the sorting step, and searching the non-registrant having a higher similarity degree than the predetermined threshold value.