JP2009164921A - Finger authentication device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a finger authentication apparatus capable of appropriately re-registering finger information. <P>SOLUTION: A mobile terminal includes: a storage means for storing biological information of a user; a reading means for reading the biological information of the user; and a control means for controlling to perform unlock in accordance with a result of authentication using the stored biological information and the read biological information. In a case where a use end request of the mobile terminal or of an application is inputted after unlocking, the control means controls to read the biological information of the user by means of the reading means and to store the read biological information in the storage means for use in the next authentication. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is a technique related to authentication that allows only a specific user to use a terminal.

  In recent years, as one of security functions, there is an apparatus that performs personal authentication using finger vein images as personal authentication by biometric authentication. For example, in Patent Document 1, in order to acquire a finger vein image with high reproducibility, a wall for preventing a deviation in the finger major axis direction, a deviation in the finger minor axis direction, and a rotation around the finger major axis are used. It is described that a mark or the like for preventing the above is provided.

JP 2004-49705 A

  Biological information such as finger veins may change gradually over the years, or may change temporarily due to injury or physical condition. Therefore, when performing authentication using ecological information, in order to improve the reproducibility of captured images, it is not only necessary to provide guides such as marks to prevent deviations in the shooting position and direction, but also to some extent after registration. When the time has elapsed, it is required to re-register the original image for authentication. However, the original image registered once is not re-registered unless the user consciously performs it. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a finger authentication device capable of appropriately re-registering finger information.

  A portable terminal according to the present invention releases a lock according to a storage unit that stores biometric information of a user, a reading unit that reads biometric information of the user, and an authentication result using the stored biometric information and the read biometric information. Control means for controlling as described above. The control means reads the user's biometric information by the reading means when the use termination request for the portable terminal or the application is input after the lock is released, and stores the read biometric information in the storage means to be used for the next authentication. Control to remember.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a finger authentication device capable of appropriately re-registering finger information.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of a mobile terminal that is an example of a finger authentication apparatus.

  The finger information reading unit 3 reads finger information for determining whether or not the user of the mobile terminal 1 is, for example, finger vein information or fingerprint information of the user. When reading finger vein information, for example, a method of reading transmitted light by irradiating a finger with near infrared rays is used. Further, when reading fingerprint information, for example, a method in which light is applied to the fingerprint to read uneven reflection light, or a method in which capacitance generated between the finger information reading unit 3 due to fingerprint unevenness is read.

  The storage unit 8 stores the finger information read by the finger information reading unit 3. At this time, if the information stored in the storage unit 8 is information that can be authenticated by the finger information authentication unit 7, not the data read by the finger information reading unit 3 but the feature points of the read data are extracted. It may be processed data.

  The finger information authentication unit 7 determines whether the information stored in the storage unit 8 matches the information read by the finger information reading unit 3. For example, it is determined whether the shapes of the finger veins match or feature points such as fingerprint branches and end points match. If they match, authentication success is output, and if they do not match, information indicating authentication failure is output to the control unit 6, and the control unit 6 displays the determination result on the display unit 2.

  The portable terminal 1 has a function for browsing address book data and data folders stored in the storage unit 8, a mail use function using the communication unit 4, and a service use function such as electronic transactions with financial institutions. The control unit 6 controls the various functions to operate and controls the various functions so that they cannot be used according to the authentication result of the finger information authentication unit 7. As control for prohibiting the use, the use may be locked for each individual function, or the terminal itself may be locked, for example, the key operation from the operation unit 5 may be invalidated. Examples of locks for individual functions include, for example, electronic transaction locks that disable the use of electronic transactions with financial institutions without permitting the activation and operation of applications used for electronic transactions, locks that prevent data folder browsing, and addresses There are locks that prohibit reading and editing of books, locks that prohibit transfer to external devices such as PCs, and the like.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the mobile terminal, FIG. 2A is a view of the mobile terminal 1 viewed from the back, and FIG. 2B is a mobile phone with the user's finger 10 installed. The figure which looked at the terminal 1 from the side, FIG.2 (c) has shown the figure which looked at the portable terminal 1 from the table | surface. FIG. 3 is an example of a flowchart showing a re-registration processing procedure for finger information. First, a request for using the portable terminal 1 or a function is input in a locked state for the portable terminal 1 itself or for each individual function (S1). This use request may be input from the user via the operation unit 5, may be received via the communication unit 4, or the date and time stored in the storage unit 8. It may be output from the control unit 6 according to the interval.

  When a use request is input (S1), the control unit 6 controls the finger information reading unit 3 to read the finger information. The finger information authentication unit 7 compares the read finger information with the finger information registered in advance in the storage unit 8, and determines whether the finger information matches, for example, a reference value of 90% or more (S2). . At this time, the control unit 6 desirably displays a message on the display unit 2 urging the user to place a finger on the finger information reading unit 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the control unit 6 activates the finger information reading unit 3 when the user presses the finger authentication activation switch 9 while holding the finger 10 over the finger information reading unit 3. The finger information reading unit 3 may be controlled so that the finger information reading process is performed only while the finger authentication activation switch 9 is pressed. Thus, the power consumption of the portable terminal 1 can be suppressed by activating the finger information reading unit 3 when the finger authentication activation switch 9 is pressed.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, there is a possibility that even if the finger authentication activation switch 9 is pressed, the finger is separated from the finger information reading unit 3 and the finger information cannot be read correctly. There is. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 5B, it is desirable to provide the finger information reading unit 3 with the optical sensor 11 and read the finger information only when the optical sensor 11 is covered. . At this time, when the finger authentication activation switch 9 is pressed and the optical sensor 11 is not covered, a message such as “The finger is not properly placed” is displayed on the microphone (not shown) or the like. The user can be prompted to place a finger at a readable position. In addition, if the distance between the optical sensor 11 and the finger authentication activation switch 9 is too short, it is not possible to confirm whether the finger is placed correctly. It is desirable to install.

  Further, the number of optical sensors 11 is not limited to one as shown in FIG. 6A, and a plurality of optical sensors 11 may be arranged in the finger information reading unit 3 as shown in FIG. 6B, for example. good. When there is only one optical sensor 11, the optical sensor 11 is covered, but the finger is placed obliquely with respect to the finger information reading unit 3, and there is a possibility that reading cannot be performed correctly. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, by providing a plurality of optical sensors and guiding the placement of the fingers so that the plurality of optical sensors are obscured, it is possible to eliminate the displacement and rotation of the finger placement position. .

  As described above, the finger information authentication process is performed in S2, and if the authentication results do not match (S2: NG), the mobile terminal 1 or the application that operates various functions is terminated without starting. Note that the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and if the authentication results do not match, the process may return to S2 until a predetermined number of times such as three times or a predetermined time is reached, and the finger information is read again to make a determination. .

  On the other hand, if the authentication results match (S2: OK), the application is activated and operated until a termination request is received (S3).

  When an application termination request is input from the user via the operation unit 5 (S4: Yes), the control unit 6 displays a message requesting the user to re-register finger information on the display unit 2, and the finger information reading unit 3 is performed to read the finger information for registration (S5). In the finger information reading process for registration, it is necessary to read more accurate information than the finger information reading process for authentication in S2. For example, if the number of finger vein branch points necessary for authentication is N (N is an integer value), in the authentication finger information reading process, imaging may be performed so that N finger vein branch points can be read. In the registration finger information reading process, it is required to perform imaging so that N or more finger vein branch points can be read in order to improve the authentication rate. In order to increase the amount of information, it is necessary to shoot at a high resolution, for example, to adjust the focus and the amount of light. When the finger information has been successfully read (S6: successful reading), the control unit 6 re-registers the read finger information as the next unlocking finger information in the storage unit 8, and then ends the application (S7). The next time finger information authentication is performed, authentication is performed using the re-registered finger information. As described above, in the processing procedure according to this example, even if the finger information is different from the finger whose finger information is registered in the storage unit 8 without specially performing the cancellation processing of the already-registered finger information, Can be registered as However, if a long time has passed since the authentication in S2, there is a possibility that finger information may be re-registered by another person. When the end request is input after the predetermined time elapses, it is desirable to perform control so that the finger information authentication of S2 is performed again before performing the re-registration process shown in S5 to S7.

  On the other hand, when the finger information reading has failed (S6: reading failure), the process returns to S5 to read the finger information again. Here, when the reading failure for a certain number of times or the reading failure for a certain time continues (S6: timeout), the application is terminated as it is (S8). Note that the termination request (S4) is not limited to the case where the termination request is input from the user via the operation unit 5. For example, the user holds the finger 10 over the finger information reading unit 3 and presses the finger authentication activation switch 9. In this case, it may be determined that an end request has been input.

  In this way, when the application termination request is input, new finger information is registered, and the user is not aware that finger information needs to be re-registered due to changes over time, etc. Even so, it is possible to prompt the user to re-register finger information.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the operation unit 5 and the finger information reading unit 3 are provided separately, but the operation unit 5 may include the finger information reading unit 3. Further, the finger information reading unit 3 may be disposed between the operation units 5. With this configuration, finger information can be read when the operation unit 5 is pressed. A part of the operation unit 5 may be used as the finger authentication activation switch 9.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, finger information is read each time an end request is input, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the user may be prompted to re-register when a predetermined period has elapsed since finger vein registration. Further, not only the end process, but, for example, in the electronic transaction application of the bank, the finger information reading process and the finger information re-registration may be performed at the timing such as the transfer amount and the final determination key of the transfer destination.

  When finger information of a plurality of fingers is registered in the storage unit 8, the processes of S5 to S7 may be repeated to re-register finger information of the plurality of fingers. When a plurality of pieces of finger information are stored in the storage unit 8 and one piece of finger information is registered as unlocking finger information, the procedure shown in FIG. 4 is used instead of FIG. You may make it process. In the example of FIG. 4, the processes of S9 to S11 are added instead of the processes of S5 to S7 illustrated in FIG. 3. The same processes as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the process shown in FIG. 4, when a use request is input (S1), if the finger information read by the finger information reading unit 3 matches the finger information registered as the unlocking finger information, the authentication OK ( S2: OK) and the application is activated (S3).

  When there is an application termination request (S4: Yes), the control unit 6 controls the finger information reading unit 3 to perform an authentication finger information reading process (S9). In the finger information reading process for authentication, for example, if the number of vein branch points necessary for authentication is N, it is only necessary to read N or more vein branch points. There may be a small number of branch points.

  When the authentication finger information reading process fails (S10: failure), the control unit 6 controls the finger information reading unit 3 to read the authentication finger information again (S9). Here, when the reading failure for a certain number of times or the reading failure for a certain time continues (S9: timeout), the operation of the portable terminal 1 is locked or the activation of the application is locked, and the application is terminated (S8).

  On the other hand, when the finger information has been successfully read (S10: success), the control unit 6 determines whether the read finger information matches any of two or more finger information stored in the storage unit 8 in advance. (S11). When it matches with any one of the finger information registered in advance (S11: Yes), the finger information used for unlocking next time is changed to the matching finger information (S12). If the determination result does not match any finger information registered in advance (S11: none), the authentication finger information reading process is performed again (S9). If it does not match even after a certain number of times, or does not match even after a certain time has passed (S11: time-out), the operation of the mobile terminal 1 is locked or the application is locked for activation, and the application is terminated (S8).

  In order to improve security, it is desirable to change the finger information for unlocking every predetermined period. However, when changing the finger information, another person's finger information may be mistakenly or intentionally registered. As shown in FIG. 4, when the finger information matches one of a plurality of pre-stored finger information, the finger information can be changed as unlocking finger information, and the finger information is changed to unregistered finger information. By disabling the above, occurrence of such a problem can be prevented and security can be improved.

  Note that reading finger information of a finger registered for unlocking may fail due to injury or physical condition of the finger. In the case of authentication NG (S2: NG) in the finger information authentication, another authentication method may be performed, and if the other authentication is OK, the finger authentication OK (S2: OK) may be used. For example, the finger information of two fingers other than the finger registered for unlocking is read, and if both of the finger information read matches the finger information registered in advance, it is determined that the authentication is OK. To do.

  In the example described above, the finger information is stored in the storage unit 8 of the mobile terminal 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is stored in another place such as a server that can communicate using the communication unit 4. You may make it do. For example, when stored in the server, finger information stored in advance from the communication unit 4 is acquired by the communication terminal 1 and authenticated by the finger information authentication unit 7. Also, a finger information authentication unit is provided in the server instead of the communication terminal 1, the read finger information is transmitted from the communication unit 4 to the server, finger information authentication is performed by the server, and the communication terminal 1 receives the authentication result. Also good.

The block diagram which showed the example of the internal structure of the portable terminal which is an example of a finger authentication apparatus The figure which shows an example of the external appearance of a portable terminal The figure which shows an example of the flowchart which shows the re-registration processing procedure of finger information The figure which shows an example of the flowchart which shows the re-registration processing procedure of finger information The figure which shows an example of the external appearance of a portable terminal Diagram showing an example of optical sensor arrangement

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Portable terminal 2 Display part 3 Finger information reading part 4 Communication part 5 Operation part 6 Control part 7 Finger information authentication part 8 Storage part 9 Finger authentication starting switch 10 Finger 11 Optical sensor

Claims (6)

A mobile terminal with a lock function,
Storage means for storing biological information of the user of the portable terminal;
Reading means for reading biometric information of the user of the portable terminal;
Control means for controlling to unlock the portable terminal or application according to an authentication result using the biometric information stored in the storage means and the biometric information read by the reading means;
With
The control means reads the biometric information of the user of the portable terminal by the reading means when the use termination request of the portable terminal or application is input after the lock is released, and the read biometric information is authenticated next time. A portable terminal that is controlled to be stored in the storage means so as to be used in   2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the biometric information is information on a fingerprint or finger vein of a user of the mobile terminal. The portable terminal according to claim 2, wherein the reading means includes an optical sensor,
The mobile terminal, wherein the control means controls the reading means so as to read finger information when a finger of a user of the mobile terminal is placed so that the optical sensor is covered.   The control means according to claim 1 controls the reading means to perform photographing at a high resolution when reading the biological information stored in the storage means rather than the biological information used for the authentication. A mobile terminal characterized by. A mobile terminal that performs authentication using user's finger information,
Reading means for reading finger information of the user of the portable terminal;
Storage means for storing finger information of a plurality of fingers of the user of the mobile terminal, and storing one of the plurality of finger information as finger information for unlocking;
When the finger information read by the reading means matches a predetermined value or more with one of the plurality of finger information, control is performed to change the finger information read by the reading means to the finger information for unlocking. Control means;
A portable terminal characterized by comprising: A mobile terminal that performs authentication using user's finger information,
Comprising reading means for reading finger information of a user of the portable terminal;
The portable terminal characterized in that the reading means has an optical sensor and reads finger information when a finger of a user of the portable terminal is placed so that the optical sensor is covered.

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