JP2007018168A - Biological authentication device and image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To register a sufficient number of items of collation data even when the storage capacity of a standard built-in storage part is relatively small. <P>SOLUTION: A biological authentication device is provided with a storage part 220 for storing a plurality of collation data, a connection part 230 to be directly or indirectly connected to a storage medium 300 for storing the plurality of collation data, an authentication part 240 for executing biological authentication by comparing biological authentication information inputted from an authentication information input part 210 with collation data stored in the storage part 220 or the storage medium 300 and a precision changing part 250 for changing the precision of the registered collation data according to the connection of the connection part 230 to the storage medium 300. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a biometric authentication apparatus and an image processing apparatus including the same.

  In recent years, an image processing apparatus such as a multifunction machine, a copier, a printer apparatus, or a facsimile apparatus in which biometric authentication such as fingerprint authentication is introduced has been proposed. A biometric authentication device provided in an image processing apparatus or the like is generally one in which collation data is registered in advance and the inputted biometric authentication information is compared with the collation data (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a biometric authentication device that can authenticate at both low resolution and high resolution.

In this type of image processing apparatus, a biometric authentication input unit such as a fingerprint sensor is built in or connected from the outside, and printing, copying, facsimile operation, etc. are allowed after biometric authentication. As a result, confidential documents are not printed or copied, and the fax function is not used illegally.
JP 2004-21491 A

  However, in an image processing apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral, a storage unit built in as a standard may have a relatively small storage capacity such as an SRAM or SDRAM. In this case, the storage area that can be assigned to the collation data for registration becomes small, and a sufficient number of pieces of collation data cannot be registered, resulting in poor convenience.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a sufficient number of pieces of verification data even when the storage capacity of a standard built-in storage unit is relatively small. It is to provide a biometric authentication apparatus capable of registering an image and an image processing apparatus including the same.

  According to the present invention for solving the above problems, a storage unit for storing a plurality of pieces of collation data, a connection unit for directly or indirectly connecting a storage medium capable of storing a plurality of pieces of collation data, and authentication information Presence or absence of connection between the authentication unit for performing biometric authentication by comparing biometric authentication information input from the input unit and the verification data stored in the storage unit or the storage medium, and the storage unit in the connection unit Thus, there is provided a biometric authentication device comprising an accuracy changing unit that changes the accuracy of the registered collation data.

  The term “directly connected” here includes, for example, a form in which a standard memory is inserted and connected to a main board or the like, and means that a storage medium is directly connected to a circuit inside the apparatus. “Indirect connection” includes, for example, a mode in which a network option board including a memory is connected to the interface unit, and a storage medium is connected to a circuit inside the apparatus via another element.

According to this invention, in a state where the storage medium is not connected to the connection unit, the accuracy changing unit has a relatively low accuracy of the collation data so that the number of pieces of collation data that can be stored in the storage unit is increased. To do. When the storage medium is connected to the connection unit, the storage area of the storage medium can be used in addition to the storage area of the storage unit, and a sufficient number of pieces of verification data can be stored even if the amount of data per case is large. Therefore, the accuracy changing unit makes the accuracy of the collation data relatively high.
As a result, even when the storage capacity of the standard built-in storage unit is relatively small, it is possible to reduce the load on the storage unit and register a sufficient number of pieces of verification data. Further, when another storage medium is connected, it is possible to enhance the accuracy of the collation data and to exhibit a high security function.

  In the biometric authentication apparatus, the connection unit can be connected to a plurality of types of the storage medium, and the accuracy changing unit is configured to determine the accuracy of the verification data according to the type of the storage medium. it can.

According to this configuration, the storage area assigned to the collation data is set according to the type of the storage medium. For example, when the storage medium has a relatively large capacity such as a hard disk, the accuracy of the collation data when the storage medium is connected is set to be relatively high. For example, the storage medium has a relatively small capacity such as an SDRAM. If it is, the accuracy of the collation data when the storage medium is connected is set to be relatively low. Thereby, the precision of the collation data registered finely according to the kind of storage medium can be set.
In addition, for example, the specification of a storage medium that can be connected to the main board, such as a multifunction peripheral, is one, and the specification of the storage medium that is mounted on the network option board that can be connected to the interface unit is also one This configuration is extremely convenient when the specification of the storage medium connected in the product is fixed to some extent, such as in some cases.

  The said biometric authentication apparatus WHEREIN: The said precision change part can be set as the structure which determines the precision of the said collation data according to the storage capacity of the said storage medium.

  According to this configuration, when storage media having different storage capacities are connected, the accuracy of the collation data registered according to the capacity can be changed, and the accuracy of the collation data is set finely according to the storage capacity. can do.

  In the biometric authentication device, the accuracy changing unit is configured to be able to register the verification data with two types of accuracy, and when there is a connection with the storage medium in the connection unit, the verification data is set to high accuracy, When the connection unit is not connected to the storage medium, the verification data can be configured with low accuracy.

  According to this configuration, the accuracy of the collation data is set in two stages, and the accuracy can be switched depending on whether or not the storage medium is connected. Therefore, the accuracy change control can be performed easily and accurately.

  In the biometric authentication device, when the connection unit determines whether the storage medium is connected, and when it is determined that the storage medium is connected, the low-accuracy verification data is already stored in the storage unit or the storage medium. It can be set as the structure provided with the alerting | reporting part which alert | reports to the user that the said collation data of low precision is already registered when it is registration.

  According to this configuration, when a storage medium is added during use of the apparatus, the user can know that low-precision collation data is already registered, and delete unnecessary low-precision collation data. However, there will be no problem. In addition to this, a storage medium is added, and high-accuracy fingerprint authentication can be performed by effectively utilizing the storage capacity that has been increased by deleting the low-precision collation data.

  In the biometric authentication device, when it is determined whether or not the storage medium is connected in the connection unit, and when it is determined that there is no connection of the storage medium, the highly accurate collation data is already registered in the storage unit In addition, it is possible to provide a configuration including a data conversion unit that performs processing for converting the already-registered collation data into low-precision data.

  According to this configuration, when the storage medium is not connected, the verification data is automatically converted from high accuracy to low accuracy, so that the user can continue authentication without re-registering the verification data. . As a result, it is possible to deal with the removal of the external storage medium and the convenience is improved.

  The biometric authentication apparatus may include a setting input unit that can set the accuracy of the collation data independently of the accuracy changing unit.

  According to this configuration, the administrator or the like can appropriately change the verification data system in accordance with the use and purpose of the apparatus. Thus, for example, when there are a small number of device users and the number of registered verification data may be small, the security function is improved by increasing the accuracy of verification data even if a large storage area for the verification data to be registered cannot be secured. Can be prioritized. Also, for example, when priority is given to shortening the time required for handling information such as authentication processing and registration processing, the verification data is registered with low accuracy even if a large storage area for the verification data is secured. It is also possible to reduce the data amount of the verification data and the input biometric authentication information.

  In the biometric authentication apparatus, the biometric authentication information may be information related to a fingerprint.

  According to this configuration, since the biometric authentication information is information related to fingerprints, the authentication information input unit can be manufactured at a relatively low cost compared to other biometric authentication methods, and the amount of biometric authentication information and verification data Can be made relatively small, which is extremely advantageous in practical use.

  As mentioned above, although the structure of this invention was demonstrated, this invention is not restricted to this, Various aspects are included. For example, according to the present invention, the image processing apparatus includes the biometric authentication device, and the authentication unit permits predetermined image processing when it determines that the biometric authentication information matches the verification data. An apparatus is provided.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a sufficient number of pieces of collation data can be registered even when the storage capacity of a standard built-in storage unit is relatively small.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an image processing apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, an image processing apparatus 100 includes a reading unit 110 that reads an image of a document and outputs read image data, a printing unit 120 that prints an image based on the input image data, and a public line. Facsimile communication unit 130 for performing facsimile communication with other facsimile devices through a network, network communication unit 140 for communicating with an external terminal such as a personal computer through a network such as a LAN, and biometrics input with pre-registered collation data It is a multi-function machine having a biometric authentication device 200 that performs biometric authentication by comparing with authentication information. In addition, the image processing apparatus 100 includes an operation input unit 150 including a main power switch for operating the internal device, and a display unit 160 that displays an operation state of the internal device using liquid crystal or the like.

  In other words, the image processing apparatus 100 uses the network communication unit 140 to perform printing based on print data received from an external PC and / or read image data output from the reading unit 110 to an external PC. A PC scan function for transferring (transmitting) to the PC is possible. For example, the printing unit 120 executes printing based on the read image data output from the reading unit 110, or executes printing based on the print data received by the network communication unit 140. Then, when handling a confidential document during printing, copying, or the like, or in order to prevent unauthorized use of a facsimile function, the biometric authentication device 200 determines whether the verification data and the biometric authentication information belong to the same person. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, a biometric authentication device 200 includes an authentication information input unit 210 to which biometric authentication information is input, a storage unit 220 in which a plurality of pieces of collation data are stored, and a storage medium that can store a plurality of pieces of collation data. A connection unit 230 for direct or indirect connection with 300, and an authentication unit 240 that performs biometric authentication by comparing biometric authentication information and verification data. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 220 is a volatile memory and has a storage capacity smaller than that of the storage medium 300. If the authentication unit 240 determines that the biometric authentication information matches the verification data, the authentication unit 240 permits predetermined image processing in the image processing apparatus 100. In addition, the biometric authentication device 200 includes an accuracy changing unit 250 that changes the accuracy of registered verification data depending on whether or not the connection unit 230 is connected to the storage medium 300. Furthermore, the biometric authentication device 200 includes a setting input unit 260 that can set the accuracy of the collation data independently of the accuracy changing unit 250.

  Further, the biometric authentication device 200 determines whether or not the storage medium 300 is connected in the connection unit 230, and if it is determined that the storage medium 300 is connected, the low-accuracy verification data is stored in the storage unit 220 or the storage medium 300. A notification unit 270 that notifies the user that the low-accuracy collation data is already registered when registered is provided. Furthermore, when the biometric authentication device 200 determines whether or not the storage medium 300 is connected in the connection unit 230 and determines that the storage medium 300 is not connected, highly accurate verification data is already registered in the storage unit 220. In some cases, a data conversion unit 280 that performs processing for converting registered collation data into low-precision data is provided. Here, in the present embodiment, whether or not the storage medium 300 is connected in the connection unit 230 is determined using the main power switch being turned on as a trigger. The trigger is not limited to turning on the main power switch.

  Each component of the biometric authentication device 200 includes a CPU built in the image processing apparatus 100, a memory, a program that realizes each component, a storage unit that stores this program, and a network connection interface. Realized by any combination of software. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that there are various modifications to the implementation method and apparatus. FIG. 1 shows functional unit blocks instead of hardware units.

  Specifically, in the present embodiment, the biometric authentication device 200 has a hardware configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the biometric authentication device. As shown in FIG. 2, the biometric authentication device 200 is configured by electrically connecting a CPU 410, a ROM 420, an SRAM 430, an SDRAM 440, an interface unit 450, and a fingerprint sensor 460.

  The CPU 410 generally controls each component connected to the bus by executing software stored in the ROM 420. That is, the CPU 410 controls each unit of the biometric authentication device 200 by reading each program from the ROM 420 and executing it according to a predetermined processing sequence.

The SRAM 430 serving as a volatile memory stores programs and data that are temporarily required when the CPU 410 executes each program. In addition, collation data can be stored with a relatively small number.
On the other hand, the SDRAM 440 as a volatile memory mainly stores verification data. Here, the SDRAM 440 is a memory built in the image processing apparatus 100 as a standard.
Note that the SRAM 430 and the SDRAM 440 are backed up even when the main power is turned off, and are configured to hold stored information even though they are volatile memories.

  The fingerprint sensor 460 is a sensor that reads fingerprint ridges, and reads registered verification data and information input when biometric authentication is performed. Specifically, the fingerprint sensor 460 forms an image by reading, for example, reflected light from the ridges of the fingerprint placed on the substantially square sensor portion. Here, the method of the fingerprint sensor 460 may be other than the optical type using reflected light, for example, any of a capacitance type, an electric field type, a thermal type, and a pressure type. In addition, even if the image reading method is an area sensor method in which an image of the entire fingerprint is obtained with a single stamp, the image of the moving finger is continuously acquired and a plurality of images are connected to form the entire fingerprint. A line sensor system for obtaining an image may be used.

  In the present embodiment, a minutia method is used for collation between collation data and biometric authentication information. As shown in FIG. 3, the minutiae method is a collation method that uses the position of each feature point (branch point, end point, delta, etc.) and the direction of a ridge as a fingerprint feature. Here, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of extracting feature points from a fingerprint image. Since this method uses information such as the position and direction of each feature point, it is easy to correct the angle with respect to the rotational displacement of the verification fingerprint, and therefore has an advantage of being resistant to rotational displacement compared to other methods.

  In the present embodiment, the accuracy changing unit 250 is configured to be able to register collation data with two types of accuracy: low accuracy that handles only branch points as feature points and high accuracy that handles branch points and end points. Taking the fingerprint image of FIG. 3 as an example, there are 6 feature points at the branch points, 10 feature points at the end points, 6 points for low accuracy, and 16 points for high accuracy. . As shown in FIG. 4, the collation of the registered collation data and the input biometric authentication information is performed by comparing the attributes of the feature points and their relative positional relationships. Here, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing a verification method of authentication information in the minutiae method.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration block diagram of the biometric authentication device showing a state where SDRAM is added.
As shown in FIG. 5, the biometric authentication device 200 can be expanded with an SDRAM 470 separately from the SDRAM 440 that is provided as a standard. This SDRAM 470 is also configured to mainly store verification data and back up even when the main power is turned off.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a schematic configuration of the biometric authentication device showing a state where the network option board is connected.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, a network option board 500 can be connected to the interface unit 450 of the biometric authentication device 200. As shown in FIG. 6, the network option board 500 includes a CPU 510, a ROM 520, an SRAM 530, and an SDRAM 540 separately from those provided in the biometric authentication device 200. Furthermore, a card memory 550 of a nonvolatile memory such as a compact flash (registered trademark), an SD card or the like can be connected to the network option board 500, for example. In the present embodiment, the collation data can also be stored in the SDARM 540 and the card memory 550 of the network option board 500. The SDRAM 540 is configured to be backed up even when the main power supply is turned off.

The operation of the biometric authentication device 200 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, when the main power switch is turned on (step S10), it is determined whether or not the storage medium 300 shown in FIG. 1 is connected (step S20). That is, in addition to the SDRAM 440 provided as a standard, the SDRAM 470 shown in FIG. 5 is added to the main board, the network option board 500 shown in FIG. 6 is connected, and further, as shown in FIG. It is determined whether or not both of the network option boards 500 are connected. Here, FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a schematic configuration of the biometric authentication device showing a state where an SDRAM is added and a network option board is connected.

  When it is determined in step S20 that the storage medium 300 is connected, the collation data to be registered is set to a high accuracy (step S30), and if the low accuracy collation data is already registered, the notification unit 270 This is notified to the user, prompting the user to re-register the collation data (step S40), and the already-registered collation data is deleted (step S50). Note that the notification unit 270 can be configured to ask the user whether or not to re-register collation data.

  If it is determined in step S20 that the storage medium 300 is not connected, the collation data to be registered is set to low precision (step S60), and if the high precision collation data is already registered, the registered collation is already registered. A process of converting the data with low accuracy is performed (step S70). In this embodiment, the feature point of the minutiae is converted with low accuracy by changing only the branch point from the branch point and the end point. Here, in the present embodiment, the conversion is automatically performed to low accuracy, but the conversion may be executed based on the user's conversion instruction after inquiring the user of the necessity of conversion once.

  After step S50 and step S70, it is determined whether or not there is an accuracy setting input from the setting input unit 260 (step S80). At this time, if there is no accuracy setting input, the accuracy of the collation data to be registered is maintained (step S90), and if there is an accuracy setting input, the accuracy of the collation data is set to the input (step S100).

  After step S90 and step S100, it is determined whether or not the main power switch is in an off state (step S110), and if it is in an off state, the process ends. If it is determined in step S110 that the main power switch is not in the OFF state, the process proceeds to step S20, and accuracy setting processing according to the connection state of the storage medium 300 is continued.

Thus, according to the biometric authentication device 200 of the present embodiment, the accuracy changing unit 250 has a large number of pieces of collation data that can be stored in the storage unit 220 when the storage medium 300 is not connected to the connection unit 230. Thus, the accuracy of the collation data is set to a relatively low state. When the storage medium 300 is connected to the connection unit 230, the storage area of the storage medium 300 can be used in addition to the storage area of the storage unit 220. Since the data can be stored, the accuracy changing unit 250 makes the accuracy of the collation data relatively high.
Thereby, even when the storage capacity of the storage unit 220 built in as standard is relatively small, the load on the storage unit 220 can be reduced and a sufficient number of pieces of collation data can be registered. Further, when another storage medium 300 is connected, it is possible to increase the accuracy of the collation data and to exhibit a high security function.

  Further, according to the biometric authentication device 200 of the present embodiment, the accuracy of the collation data to be registered is set in two stages, and the accuracy can be switched depending on whether or not the storage medium 300 is connected. It can be done accurately.

  Further, according to the biometric authentication device 200 of the present embodiment, since the notification unit 270 is provided, when the storage medium 300 is added during the use of the device, the user has already registered low-accuracy verification data. It is possible to know this, and even if unnecessary low-precision collation data is deleted, no problem occurs. In addition to this, the storage medium 300 is added, and high-accuracy fingerprint authentication can be performed by effectively utilizing the storage capacity that has been increased by deleting the low-precision collation data.

  In addition, according to the biometric authentication device 200 of the present embodiment, by providing the data conversion unit 280, the collation data is automatically converted from high accuracy to low accuracy when the storage medium 300 is not connected. As a result, the user can continue to authenticate without re-registering the verification data. Therefore, it is possible to cope with the removal of the external storage medium 300, and the convenience is improved.

  In addition, according to the biometric authentication device 200 of the present embodiment, since the setting input unit 260 is provided, the administrator or the like can appropriately change the verification data system according to the use and purpose of the device. Thus, for example, when there are a small number of device users and the number of registered verification data may be small, the security function is improved by increasing the accuracy of verification data even if a large storage area for the verification data to be registered cannot be secured. Can be prioritized. Also, for example, when priority is given to shortening the time required for handling information such as authentication processing and registration processing, the verification data is registered with low accuracy even if a large storage area for the verification data is secured. It is also possible to reduce the data amount of the verification data and the input biometric authentication information.

  Further, according to the biometric authentication device 200 of the present embodiment, since the biometric authentication information is information related to fingerprints, the authentication information input unit 210 can be manufactured at a relatively low cost compared to other biometric authentication methods, The amount of biometric authentication information and verification data can be made relatively small, which is extremely advantageous in practical use.

  In the above-described embodiment, a multifunction peripheral is exemplified as the image processing apparatus 100. However, the image processing apparatus may of course be a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus, a printer apparatus, or the like. In addition, the biometric authentication apparatus 200 is provided in the image processing apparatus 100 and biometric authentication is performed for the purpose of permitting predetermined image processing. However, the biometric authentication apparatus 200 is provided in another apparatus or other applications. For example, it may be used for identity verification at the time of product purchase or for biometric authentication when entering a predetermined place.

  In the above embodiment, the accuracy of the collation data to be registered is switched depending on whether or not the storage medium 300 is connected. However, the accuracy may be changed according to the storage capacity of the storage medium 300. Good. In this case, when storage media 300 having different storage capacities are connected, the accuracy of the verification data registered according to the capacity can be changed, and the accuracy of the verification data can be set finely according to the storage capacity. Can do.

Furthermore, the accuracy may be changed according to the type of the storage medium 300. In this case, for example, when the storage medium 300 has a relatively large capacity such as a hard disk, the accuracy of the collation data when the storage medium is connected is set to be relatively high. For example, the storage medium 300 may be an SDRAM or the like. If the capacity is relatively small, the accuracy of the collation data when the storage medium is connected is set to be relatively low. Thereby, the precision of the collation data registered finely according to the kind of storage medium can be set.
Further, for example, in the image processing apparatus 100 of the embodiment, when the specification of the SDRAM 470 that can be connected to the main board is one and the specification of the network option board 500 that can be connected to the interface unit 450 is also one, etc. This configuration is very convenient when the specifications of the storage medium 300 are determined to some extent in the product.

  In the above-described embodiment, the minutiae method is used for collation between the collation data and the biometric authentication information. However, it goes without saying that a pattern matching method, a frequency analysis method, or the like may be used. The accuracy of collation data when using another method is changed, for example, by changing the area of the acquired image or changing the resolution of the acquired image. In the minutiae system, if the image area, resolution, and the like are changed in addition to the increase / decrease of the feature points, it is possible to change the precision with precision.

  In the above embodiment, when the accuracy of the collation data is changed, the accuracy is switched in two steps based on the bifurcation point and the end point of the fingerprint image. The accuracy may be switched in three or more stages.

  In the above embodiment, the accuracy changing unit 250 handles only the branch point with low accuracy, and handles the branch point and the end point with high accuracy. Both end points may be handled, and the accuracy may be changed by the number of matching points (feature points). For example, in the fingerprint image of FIG. 3, with high accuracy, there are 16 feature points at the branch points and 10 feature points at the end points in the same manner as in the previous embodiment. You may make it make the feature point of a point and an end point into a total of 8 points | pieces of 5 points | pieces.

  In addition, accuracy is achieved by using the “maneuver relation method” that captures the number of ridges that cross between feature points as a feature, and the “chip matching method” that performs pattern matching using images around detected feature points. May be changed. Compared with the normal “maneuver system”, the “maneuver relation system”, the “chip matching system”, and the like have higher accuracy, so that the accuracy can be changed by switching the system.

  In the above embodiment, the biometric authentication information is information related to fingerprints. However, for example, the information may be other biometric information such as an iris, a face, a palm shape, a voiceprint, a retina, and a vein. Of course. Further, although the image processing apparatus 100 has the fingerprint sensor 460, the fingerprint sensor 460 may be externally connected by a USB cable or the like. Furthermore, the storage medium 300 may be a hard disk, a network file server, or the like, and it is needless to say that other specific detailed structures can be appropriately changed.

It is a functional block diagram of an image processing device showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic structure block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of a biometrics authentication apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example which extracts a feature point from a fingerprint image. It is explanatory drawing which showed notionally the verification method of the authentication information in a minutia system. It is a schematic block diagram of a biometric authentication device showing a state where SDRAM is added. It is a schematic block diagram of a biometric authentication device showing a state where a network option board is connected. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a biometrics authentication apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of a biometric authentication device showing a state where an SDRAM is added and a network option board is connected.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image processing apparatus 110 Reading part 120 Printing part 130 Facsimile communication part 140 Network communication part 150 Operation input part 160 Display part 200 Biometric authentication apparatus 210 Authentication information input part 220 Storage part 230 Connection part 240 Authentication part 250 Accuracy change part 260 Setting input Unit 270 notifying unit 280 data converting unit 300 storage medium 410 CPU
420 ROM
430 SRAM
440 SDRAM
450 Interface unit 460 Fingerprint sensor 470 SDRAM
500 Network option board 510 CPU
520 ROM
530 SRAM
540 SDRAM
550 card memory

Claims (9)

A storage unit for storing a plurality of verification data;
A connection unit for directly or indirectly connecting a storage medium capable of storing a plurality of verification data;
An authentication unit for performing biometric authentication by comparing biometric authentication information input from an authentication information input unit and the verification data stored in the storage unit or the storage medium;
A biometric authentication device comprising: an accuracy changing unit that changes the accuracy of the registered verification data depending on whether the connection unit is connected to the storage medium. The connection unit can be connected to a plurality of types of the storage media,
The biometric authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the accuracy changing unit determines the accuracy of the verification data according to a type of the storage medium.   The biometric authentication device according to claim 1, wherein the accuracy changing unit determines the accuracy of the verification data according to a storage capacity of the storage medium.   The accuracy changing unit is configured to be able to register the verification data with two types of accuracy, and when there is a connection with the storage medium in the connection unit, the verification data is set to high accuracy, and the storage in the connection unit The biometric authentication device according to claim 1, wherein when there is no connection with a medium, the verification data has low accuracy.   When determining whether or not the storage medium is connected in the connection unit, and determining that the storage medium is connected, when the low-accuracy collation data is already registered in the storage unit or the storage medium, The biometric authentication device according to claim 4, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the user that the low-accuracy collation data is already registered.   When the connection unit determines whether or not the storage medium is connected, and when it is determined that the storage medium is not connected, when the highly accurate collation data is already registered in the storage unit, The biometric authentication device according to claim 4, further comprising a data conversion unit that performs a process of converting the verification data into low-accuracy data.   The biometric authentication device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting input unit capable of setting the accuracy of the collation data independently of the accuracy changing unit.   The biometric authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the biometric authentication information is information related to a fingerprint. The biometric authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising:
When the authentication unit determines that the biometric authentication information matches the verification data, the image processing apparatus permits predetermined image processing.