US-20260127260-A1 - IRIS AUTHENTICATION DEVICE AND IRIS AUTHENTICATION METHOD

US20260127260A1US 20260127260 A1US20260127260 A1US 20260127260A1US-20260127260-A1

Abstract

An iris authentication device includes: a camera that is installed at a position lower than a line of sight of an authentication target person; lighting that is installed either at a same height as the position of the camera or at a position lower than the camera and that irradiates the authentication target person with light; and an authentication unit that performs authentication of the authentication target person by collating an iris that appears in an image of the authentication target person with a pre-registered iris image, the image of the authentication target person being captured by the camera from lower front while the lighting is irradiating the light.

Inventors

Toshiyuki Sashihara

Assignees

NEC CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251223

Claims (4)

1 . An iris authentication device comprising: a camera that is installed at a position lower than a line of sight of an authentication target person; lighting that is installed either at a same height as the position of the camera or at a position lower than the camera and that irradiates the authentication target person with light; a display configured to display a target to be gazed at by the authentication target person; at least one memory storing instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to: display the target at a position on the display where an imaging angle formed by a line connecting a center of a lens of the camera and a position of an eye of the authentication target person and the line of sight when the authentication target person gazes at the target becomes a predetermined angle; and perform authentication based on an image captured by the camera when the authentication target person gazes at the target.
2 . The iris authentication device according to claim 1 , wherein the display comprises a touch panel configured to detect that a finger of the authentication target person touches the target, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to: perform authentication of the authentication target person by collating an iris that appears in an image of the authentication target person with a pre-registered iris image, the image of the authentication target person being captured by the camera from lower front while the lighting is irradiating the light, wherein performing the authentication of the authentication target person by collating the iris with the pre-registered iris image comprises: displaying the target by the display; and causing the camera to capture, at a timing when the touch panel of the display detects that the finger of the authentication target person touches the target, the image of the authentication target person touching the touch panel, and wherein displaying the target by the display comprises: acquiring information of a dominant hand of the authentication target person; and switching a position where the target is displayed based on the information of the dominant hand.
3 . An iris authentication method performed by using an iris authentication device comprising: a camera that is installed at a position lower than a height of a line of sight of an authentication target person; and lighting that is installed either at a same height as the position of the camera or at a position lower than the camera and irradiates the authentication target person with light, wherein the method comprises: displaying a target at a position on a display where an imaging angle formed by a line connecting a center of a lens of the camera and a position of an eye of the authentication target person and a line of sight when the authentication target person gazes at the target becomes a predetermined angle; and performing authentication based on an image captured by the camera when the authentication target person gazes at the target.
4 . The iris authentication method according to claim 3 , further comprising: performing authentication of the authentication target person by collating an iris that appears in an image of the authentication target person with a pre-registered iris image, the image of the authentication target person being captured by the camera from lower front while the lighting is irradiating the light, wherein performing the authentication of the authentication target person by collating the iris with the pre-registered iris image comprises: displaying, by the display, the target; detecting, by a touch panel of the display, that a finger of the authentication target person touches the target; and causing the camera to capture, at a timing when the touch panel of the display detects that the finger of the authentication target person touches the target, the image of the authentication target person touching the touch panel, and wherein displaying, by the display, the target comprises: acquiring information of a dominant hand of the authentication target person; and switching a position where the target is displayed based on the information of the dominant hand.

Description

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/772,589 filed on Apr. 28, 2022, which is a National Stage Entry of PCT/JP2019/043229 filed on Nov. 5, 2019, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to an iris authentication device and an iris authentication method for promptly capturing an image suitable for iris authentication and performing iris authentication. BACKGROUND ART There is an increasing need for biometric authentication as a means of ensuring security without compromising convenience. Among biometric authentication, iris authentication has high authentication accuracy, can be applied to payment processing, and, for example, is expected to be introduced as a means for performing easy and highly accurate personal authentication in stores and the like. In order to quickly perform iris authentication at a store or the like, it is necessary to be able to reliably capture an image of sufficiently high quality (hereinafter referred to as an iris image) to the extent that iris authentication is possible. Patent Document 1 discloses an iris authentication device in which the positional relationship between the camera and the LED is devised so that the space for iris authentication can be widened while preventing the red-eye phenomenon. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of using camera capable of capturing an image from a distance to image a walking user from an oblique direction and so perform iris authentication while the user performs a natural motion. Patent Document 3 discloses an imaging device that separately prepares a light source and a camera for each of the left and right eyes of the authentication target person, and guides the position of the eyes quickly and accurately to capture an image for iris authentication. As a related technique to discriminate whether the subject's eyes are false eyes or eyes of a living body when performing iris authentication, Patent Document 4 discloses a technique of guiding the subject to move his/her line of sight and analyzing an image taken during that period to determine whether or not the subject's eyes are living matter. Patent Document 5 discloses a technique that arranges a left and right pair of cameras with a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction at a position lower than the subject's face, and analyzes an image of the subject's face taken at an elevation angle in the range of 20 to 35 degrees to detect the subject's line of sight. PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS Patent Documents [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2016-162129 [Patent Document 2] PCT International Publication No. WO 2009/016846 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2007-319175 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2007-041831 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2019-098024 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problem to be solved by the Invention The iris image is obtained by emitting light from a light source and capturing an image of the eyes of the authentication target person with a camera. If a good quality iris image can be captured by properly arranging the position of the light source and the camera with respect to the position of the eyes of the authentication target person, iris authentication can be performed quickly and the introduction of iris authentication will be promoted. Patent Documents 1 to 5 contain no disclosures concerning the positional relationship between the eyes of the subject to be authenticated, the camera and the light source suited to iris authentication. This disclosure provides an iris authentication device and an iris authentication method capable of solving the aforementioned problem. Means for Solving the Problem According to one example aspect of this disclosure, an iris authentication device includes: a camera that is installed at a position lower than a line of sight of an authentication target person; lighting that is installed either at a same height as the position of the camera or at a position lower than the camera and that irradiates the authentication target person with light; and an authentication unit that performs authentication of the authentication target person by collating an iris that appears in an image of the authentication target person with a pre-registered iris image, the image of the authentication target person being captured by the camera from lower front while the lighting is irradiating the light. According to one example aspect of this disclosure, an iris authentication method performed by using an iris authentication device including: a camera that is installed at a position lower than a height of a line of sight of an authentication target person; and lighting that is installed either at a same height as the position of the ca