JP2017068404A - Customer management system and customer management program - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To reduce facility costs and management costs by sharing registration information and authentication processing. One or more terminals (CRM terminal group 4) that are arranged in a plurality of stores and acquire at least a visitor's face image, and the terminal identifies at least the visitor with the face image acquired from the visitor. A storage unit 8 that registers in association with customer information, a server that reads a registered image from the storage unit in response to an authentication request from the terminal, and a face image related to the authentication request of the terminal, and the face image is in the storage unit A plurality of authentication units (FA sensor group 10) that authenticate whether or not they match the registered face image, and an authentication unit that receives authentication requests issued from a plurality of terminals and is selected from a plurality of authentication units according to a priority order assigned in advance. And processing means (FA gateway 12) for distributing authentication processing of authentication requests. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

The technology of the present disclosure relates to a customer management technology suitable for a commercial facility having a plurality of stores, for example.

  CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems based on face authentication have become widespread. This system is used for various customer management such as identification of customers, purchase history of customers, analysis of product preferences, and sales promotion of products and services.

  With respect to this customer management, it is known to recognize a customer from a visitor's face image and link the customer with sales data (for example, Patent Document 1). With regard to customers and sales processing, it is known to associate customer image data capture with key operations used for sales data processing (for example, Patent Document 2). Further, it is known that customer sales data and face image data are registered in association with each other, and market information is graphed using the image data (for example, Patent Document 3).

Regarding the use of customer image information, it is known to determine customer identification, stay and footsteps in a store, attention products, etc. from image information, and use the determination information for marketing (for example, Patent Document 4). .

JP 2004-326208 A JP 2013-3866 A JP 2001-118146 A JP 2004-348618 A

  By the way, the CRM system is generally installed at each store and performs sophisticated information processing such as identification of the store visitor. Therefore, depending on the size of the store, an increase in burden becomes a barrier to introduction while recognizing its value. There is.

  In the CRM system installed for each store, individual management is performed for each store, and the information obtained by the management is only used for the store. In terms of the value of information, there can be information that is extremely versatile. In a commercial facility having a plurality of stores, it is desirable to use the information obtained at each store comprehensively. Theft information, crime prevention information, etc. are information that should be used as commercial facilities beyond each store. Such information is not generalized in an independent system for each store, and there is a problem that use is limited.

Accordingly, in view of the above problems, the purpose of the technology of the present disclosure is to provide a customer management system that shares registration information and authentication processing to reduce facility costs and management costs.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the customer management system of the present invention, a customer management system for managing visitor of a store, which is arranged in a plurality of stores and acquires at least a visitor's face image. One or more terminals, a storage unit that registers the face image acquired by the terminal from a visitor in association with at least customer information that identifies the visitor, and the storage unit in response to an authentication request from the terminal A server that reads a registered image, a plurality of authentication units that receive a face image related to the authentication request of the terminal and authenticate whether the face image matches a registered face image in the storage unit, and a plurality of the terminals Processing means for receiving an authentication request issued and causing the authentication unit selected from the plurality of authentication units to perform authentication processing of the authentication request.

  In such a customer management system, a plurality of terminals and authentication units are matched by relaying between a plurality of terminals and a plurality of authentication units by a processing means, and an authentication request by simultaneous use of a plurality of terminals is processed by the processing unit. And distributed to a plurality of authentication units. The authentication process is not delayed due to the influence of a plurality of authentication requests, the operating rates of the plurality of authentication units can be averaged, and a quick and stable authentication process can be performed. In a commercial facility having a plurality of stores where a plurality of terminals are arranged, an efficient operation of the face authentication system can be realized.

  In the customer management system, the processing means may accept authentication requests issued from a plurality of the terminals, and distribute the authentication request authentication processing to the authentication units in accordance with a priority assigned in advance to the plurality of authentication units.

  In such a customer management system, the processing means distributes the authentication request to an authentication unit selected from a plurality of authentication units. In this distribution process, priorities are assigned in advance to the authentication units, and the authentication processes are distributed according to the priorities.

  In the customer management system, the server registers the face image related to the face image registration request from the terminal in the storage unit, or stores the face image related to the face image authentication request from the terminal. The processing means relays between the terminal and the server, and distributes a plurality of the registration requests by simultaneous use of the plurality of terminals and provides the same to the server.

  Such a customer management system includes a server that receives face image registration requests from a plurality of terminals and registers the face image in the storage unit, and includes the processing means described above between the server and the plurality of terminals. However, registration requests due to simultaneous use of a plurality of terminals are distributed by the processing means and provided to the server. Registration process delays can be prevented due to the influence of multiple registration requests, registration face image registration processes can be made more efficient, and face image authentication processes can be speeded up.

  In the customer management system, at least information exchanged between the processing means and the server may be encrypted.

  In such a customer management system, the security on the network side connecting the terminal and the processing means can be enhanced by encrypting the information transmitted and received between the plurality of terminals and the processing means. In addition, since security is enhanced on the processing means side, measures on the server and authentication unit side can be reduced, which contributes to a reduction in equipment costs.

  In the customer management system, when the processing unit receives a plurality of the authentication requests, the processing unit may distribute the authentication requests to the authentication unit according to a priority assigned to the terminal.

  In such a customer management system, since a plurality of terminals are installed, it is impossible to avoid complication of authentication requests. Therefore, in the processing means, the order of authentication requests may be determined according to the timing of the authentication requests that arrive. At that time, if priorities are assigned to a plurality of terminals, the authentication requests are assigned according to the ranking. It can be distributed to the authentication unit, and the processing can be speeded up.

  In the customer management system, the number of authentication units installed is at least the value obtained by dividing the processing allowable time by the authentication processing time required for the authentication processing, or a value in the vicinity thereof, and the number of authentication processing The value obtained by dividing the number of installed or operating terminals may be a value obtained by multiplying the operating rate or a value in the vicinity thereof.

  In such a customer management system, providing a plurality of authentication units for a plurality of terminals can increase the capability and margin of authentication processing. However, if the number of authentication units installed is greater than the number of operating units, there will be authentication units that are not operating, and this will be useless. Therefore, if the number of authentication units to be installed is determined by such processing, the number of installations becomes reasonable according to the number of operations and the number of authentications, and the equipment cost can be optimized.

  In the customer management system, the authentication request or the registration request may include at least one of or both of the terminal identification information and the visitor attribute information together with the face image.

  In such a customer management system, when a plurality of terminals are provided, the identification information of the terminals may be used to specify the authentication request. At that time, by including attribute information for visitors such as customers, gender, store histories, purchase histories, VIPs (Very Important Persons), etc., for visitors who are subject to authentication processing, It can be used, and the convenience of the system can be further enhanced.

  In the customer management system, each of the plurality of terminals included in the terminal group may be deployed in two or more of the stores in a commercial facility including a plurality of stores.

  Such a customer management system is suitable for a commercial facility having a plurality of stores, and as the number of stores in the commercial facility increases, it can be efficiently operated such as speeding up authentication processing.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the customer management program of the present invention, there is provided a customer management program to be executed by a computer, wherein one or more terminals installed in a plurality of stores are at least a visitor's face. The image is acquired, the face image acquired by the terminal from the visitor is registered in the storage unit in association with at least customer information for identifying the visitor, and the registered image is stored from the storage unit in response to an authentication request from the terminal. Read to the server, receive the face image related to the authentication request of the terminal, and authenticate whether the face image matches the registered face image in the storage unit, any one of the plurality of authentication units, Accepts an authentication request issued from the terminal, and causes the computer to execute processing for distributing authentication processing of the authentication request to the authentication unit selected by the processing means from the plurality of authentication units

  Such a customer management program captures the above-mentioned customer management system in terms of the program in computer processing. Therefore, if this program is used, the above system can be operated by a computer, the authentication process is not delayed due to the influence of multiple authentication requests, the operating rates of the multiple authentication units can be averaged, and it can be performed quickly and stably. It is possible to improve the efficiency of the system operation as described above, such as performing authentication processing.

  In the customer management program, the processing means includes processing for receiving authentication requests issued from a plurality of the terminals, and distributing the authentication processing of the authentication requests to the authentication units according to a priority order assigned in advance to the plurality of authentication units. Good.

  As described above, even when the processing means described above is provided between the server and a plurality of terminals, authentication requests by simultaneous use of a plurality of terminals are distributed by the processing means and provided to the server. Registration processing delay due to the influence of multiple registration requests can be prevented, registration face image registration processing can be made more efficient, and face image authentication processing can be speeded up.

  The customer management program may include a process of relaying between the terminal and the server, distributing a plurality of registration requests by simultaneous use of the plurality of terminals, and providing the plurality of registration requests to the server.

  As described above, even when the processing means described above is provided between the server and a plurality of terminals, registration requests by simultaneous use of a plurality of terminals are distributed by the processing means and provided to the server. Registration processing delay due to the influence of multiple registration requests can be prevented, registration face image registration processing can be made more efficient, and face image authentication processing can be speeded up.

  In the customer management program, the number of the authentication units is further set to a value obtained by dividing the allowable processing time by at least the authentication processing time required for the authentication processing or a value near the authentication processing number, and this authentication processing It may include a process of determining a value obtained by dividing the number of installed or operating terminals by a number and a value obtained by multiplying the operating rate or a value near the value.

In such a customer management program, the number of installed authentication units can be determined by a computer. That is, if the number of authentication units installed is determined by computer processing, an appropriate number of installations can be obtained according to the number of operations and the number of authentications, which is reasonable and equipment costs can be optimized.

  According to the customer management system or the customer management program of the present disclosure, one of the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) Since multiple authentication requests due to two or more simultaneous use of multiple terminals are distributed and distributed to two or more authentication units, it is possible to avoid complication of authentication requests and speed up processing for authentication requests that occur simultaneously. Can do.

  (2) By distributing a plurality of authentication requests, a plurality of authentication units can execute authentication processing at the same time, and the authentication processing can be speeded up.

  (3) The registered face image in the storage unit can be shared and used for authentication requests from multiple terminals, and the registered face image can be used by registering face images from multiple terminals. The usage rate of registered images can be increased, and the reliability of authentication processing can be increased as the number of terminals increases.

  (4) By providing processing means for relaying between a plurality of terminals and the authentication unit, the processing means and each terminal are linked by a network, and the processing means and each authentication unit are linked by a network. The processing means can be loaded with the functions of the terminal and the authentication unit, the configuration of the terminal and the authentication unit can be simplified, and the processing can be speeded up.

  (5) If such a system is introduced into a commercial facility having a plurality of stores and companies, the storage unit, the authentication unit, and the processing means can be shared, so that installation, maintenance, and management costs can be reduced.

(6) Registered images registered at multiple stores and companies belonging to commercial facilities can be shared within the commercial facilities, and the sales promotion of customers and the scope of utilization of theft and crime prevention information can be expanded. Can be enlarged.

It is a figure which shows the share type face authentication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of face authentication. It is a figure which shows the share type face authentication system for commercial facilities which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a shop client and its hardware. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware of FA gateway. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware of an FTP server. It is a figure which shows an example of a face image data table. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware of FA sensor. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware of a center client. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware of FA controller. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing procedure of a CRM terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of a CRM terminal, and a display example. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of FA gateway. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of FA controller. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of an FTP server. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of FA sensor. It is a flowchart which shows the processing sequence of registration mode. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of authentication mode. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the number calculation of FA sensor.

[First Embodiment]

  FIG. 1 shows a share face authentication system according to the first embodiment. The configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 is an example, and the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration.

  The share type face authentication system (hereinafter simply referred to as “system”) 2-1 is installed in a commercial facility having a plurality of stores, for example. The system 2-1 includes a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) terminal group (hereinafter simply referred to as “terminal group”) 4 as an example of a terminal group, and the terminal group 4 includes a plurality of CRM terminals. (Hereinafter, simply referred to as “terminal”) 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n. The functions of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n include a function for acquiring at least a face image of a visitor and a data communication function.

  In this system 2-1, as shown in FIG. 1, an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server 6 as an example of a server, a storage unit 8, and an FA sensor (Face Authentication Sensor) as an example of an authentication unit group. ) Group 10, FA gateway (Face Authentication Gateway: Inter-network converter for face authentication) 12 is provided as a processing means which is an example of a relay unit. The storage unit 8 may be connected to the FTP server 6 or may be built in the FTP server 6.

  The FTP server 6 is an information processing apparatus that performs information processing related to face registration information, terminal information, and authentication result information, and executes reading and storage of information in the storage unit 8. In the storage unit 8, a database (Data Base: DB) that stores registration information including a plurality of registered face images is constructed, and face images from the terminal group 4 can be registered as registered images. The registered information in the DB may include attribute information of the terminal group 4 and the shopkeeper in addition to the face image.

  The FA sensor group 10 includes a plurality of FA sensors 10-1, 10-2, ... 10-m. Each of the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,..., 10-m has a linkage function with the FA gateway 12, and either one of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,. Authentication processing of face images provided from two or more of them is performed. In this authentication process, any one of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n, or a face image provided from two or more of these matches the registered face image in the storage unit 8. This is a process of checking whether to do. In this process, a match or mismatch result is obtained.

  A WAN (Wide Area Network) 14-1 is provided as an example of a first network between the FA gateway 12 and the terminal group 4, and a first network is provided between the FA gateway 12, the FTP server 6, and the FA sensor group 10. As an example of the second network, a LAN (Local Area Network) 14-2 is provided.

  The functions of the FA gateway 12 include a relay function between networks and a distribution function of registration requests and authentication requests. In the relay function, information transmission is relayed between the terminal group 4 and the FTP server 6 and the FA sensor group 10 via the WAN 14-1 and the LAN 14-2. In the processing decentralization function, a plurality of registration requests and authentication requests by simultaneous use of a plurality of terminals in the terminal group 4 are received, and the registration requests and authentication requests are distributed to a plurality of FA sensors 10-1, 10-2. ... To 10-m.

  FIG. 2 shows a processing procedure of the system 2-1. In this processing procedure, one or more of the plurality of terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n included on the terminal group 4 side individually acquire face images from visitors (S101). The FA gateway 12 relays the terminal group 4 and the FA sensor group 10 (S102), and receives an authentication request from the terminal group 4 (S103). This authentication request includes a face image to be authenticated. In this system 2-1, an authentication request is issued from the terminal group 4 including a plurality of terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n. May overlap.

  The FA gateway 12 determines whether the authentication request received from the terminal group 4 is a plurality of authentication requests (S104).

  If there are a plurality of authentication requests (YES in S104), the plurality of authentication requests are distributed and distributed to two or more FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,... 10-m (S105). The FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,..., 10-m that have received each authentication request execute an authentication process (S106).

  If it is not a plurality of authentication requests (NO in S104), S105 is skipped, and any of the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,.

  The FA gateway 12 receives the authentication result information from the FA sensor group 10 that has executed the authentication process, and uses this authentication result information as one of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,. Or two or more (S107).

<Effect of the first embodiment>

  According to the first embodiment, the following functions and effects can be obtained.

  (1) According to this system 2-1, a plurality of authentication requests by simultaneous use of two or more terminals 4-1, 4-2,. Since the sensors 10-1, 10-2,..., 10-m are distributed, it is possible to avoid the complication of a plurality of authentication requests and to speed up the processing for the authentication requests that are generated at the same time.

  (2) According to this system 2-1, by distributing a plurality of authentication requests, authentication processing can be executed simultaneously by two or more of FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,. Can be speeded up.

  (3) According to this system 2-1, the registered face image stored in the storage unit 8 is shared and used for authentication requests from a plurality of terminals 4-1, 4-2, ... 4-n. The registered face image can be registered and used from a plurality of terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n. ,..., 4-n increases, the reliability of the authentication process can be increased.

  (4) According to this system 2-1, FA between a plurality of terminals 4-1, 4-2, ... 4-n and FA sensors 10-1, 10-2, ... 10-m. Since the gateway 12 is provided, the FA gateway 12 and the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n are linked via a network, and the FA gateway 12 and the FA sensors 10-1, 10- 2... 10-m can be linked via a network, and the FA gateway 12 is connected to the terminals 4-1, 4-2,. ... 10-m functions can be borne. Thereby, while being able to simplify the structure of terminal 4-1, 4-2, ... 4-n and FA sensor 10-1,10-2, ... 10-m, speeding up of processing is aimed at. Can do.

  (5) If such a system 2-1 is introduced into a commercial facility having a plurality of stores and companies, the storage unit 8, FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,... 10-m and the FA gateway 12 are installed. Since it can be shared, installation, maintenance and management costs can be reduced.

  (6) For example, it becomes possible to share each registered image registered at multiple stores and companies belonging to a commercial facility within the commercial facility, and promote sales across customers and use theft and crime prevention information. The range can be expanded.

  (7) For example, when a store of a plurality of companies is deployed in a commercial facility or a plurality of stores are deployed in the same company, terminals 4-1, 4-2, ... 4- n can be grouped for each company, and customer-related management information can be individually managed for each company.

  (8) For example, regarding management of a malicious visitor who enters or exits a commercial facility, it is possible to manage the visitor information for each commercial facility regardless of the store or company deployed in the commercial facility.

  (9) According to this system 2-1, equipment cost and management cost can be calculated in units of commercial facilities having a plurality of stores, and each cost can be shared by stores and companies to reduce costs.

[Second Embodiment]

  FIG. 3 shows a share-type face authentication system for commercial facilities (hereinafter simply referred to as “authentication system”) according to the second embodiment. This authentication system 2-2 is an example of the share type face authentication system of the present disclosure. In FIG. 3, the same parts as those in FIG.

  This authentication system 2-2 is deployed in a commercial facility 20 having a plurality of stores such as department stores, shopping centers, and shopping malls. This commercial facility 20 is not limited to a single building. A face authentication center 22 is provided for the commercial facility 20. In the commercial facility 20, a shop client group 24 including a plurality of shop clients 24-1, 24-2,.

  The shop client group 24 includes an information processing function including various sensor functions in addition to a camera function as an image acquisition function and a LAN function as a communication function. In this information processing function, the camera function is a function of capturing a store visitor and acquiring image information. The LAN function is a communication function via a network by, for example, wired connection. As the shop client group 24, the above-described terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n may be used, and the above-described terminals 4-1, 4-2,. For example, any information processing terminal such as an Android (registered trademark) terminal or an iOS (registered trademark) terminal may be used.

Each shop client 24-1, 24-2,..., 24-n includes a plurality of functions including registration and authentication of face images. The facial image registration function includes
(a) Shooting of a visitor's face for registration of face images (image acquisition function)
(b) Generation of face image information and registration request
(c) Communication function for face image registration
(d) Includes a registration result display function. In the registration of the face image, when the face image is registered, the face of the visitor is photographed, the face image is acquired from the visitor, and this face image information is transmitted to the face authentication center 22 together with the registration request, and the response result. Receives face image registration result information. As a result, the registration result is displayed on the display of the shop client that issued the registration request among the shop clients 24-1, 24-2,.

The facial image authentication function includes
(e) Visitor's face shooting function for facial image authentication
(f) Generation of facial image information and authentication request
(g) Communication function for facial image authentication
(h) Includes a display function for facial image authentication results. In face image authentication, at the start of authentication, the face of the visitor is photographed, the face image is acquired from the visitor, and this face image information is transmitted to the face authentication center 22 together with an authentication request, and the authentication result is the authentication result. Receive information. Thereby, this authentication result is displayed on the display of the shop client that issued the authentication request among the shop clients 24-1, 24-2,.

  Each of the shop clients 24-1, 24-2,..., 24-n is individually connected to the WAN 14-1 via the communication interface 26. The WAN 14-1 is a network that connects each shop client 24-1, 24-2,..., 24-n individually to the face authentication center 22, and is, for example, an in-facility LAN, which is a wireless network or a wired network. Either is acceptable.

  An FA gateway 12 is provided on the face authentication center 22 side, and the FA gateway 12 is connected to the WAN 14-1 through a communication interface 28. Further, an FTP server 6, an FA sensor group 10, a center client group 30, and an FA controller 31 are connected to the FA gateway 12 via a LAN 14-2.

  In this embodiment, the FA gateway 12 relays between the WAN 14-1 of the plurality of shop client groups 24 and the LAN 14-2 on the face authentication center 22 side, in addition to the relay function that is an inter-network converter function. In addition to the above-described distributed processing function, it has a management function. Management functions include camera license management of cameras included in the shop clients 24-1, 24-2,..., 24-n, FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,. A part of the interface (I / F) is terminated, and functions such as load reduction of the shop client group 24 are included.

  By providing this FA gateway 12, the DM14 (DeMilitarized Zone) side of the WAN 14-1 and the LAN 14-2 can be constructed as separate networks. Information exchanged with the WAN 14-1 side can set a high security level by, for example, encryption, and high security can be ensured collectively regardless of the size of the shop client group 24. In this case, how to handle CRM information may be customized. Thereby, the security level on the LAN 14-2 side may be set to a lower security level than the WAN 14-1 side, or the FTP server 6, the FA sensor group 10, the center client group 30, and the FA controller connected to the LAN 14-2. The security level of 31 is not required to be as high as the WAN 14-1 side. That is, the cost of security equipment can be reduced.

  The FTP server 6 performs information processing including registration of face images in the storage unit 8, CRM information, and reading of registered face images from the storage unit 8 during authentication. Registered face image information, CRM information, and image authentication result information are registered in the storage unit 8 as a database. The CRM information includes terminal information, store information, or company information. CRM information may be registered and stored in different DBs on different servers, and search processing may be enabled in conjunction with the DBs, or may be customized by commercial facility managers, stores, companies, etc. . In the DB constructed in the storage unit 8, for example, the number of registrations is for 100,000 persons, and 200,000 face images are registered. The FTP server 6 cooperates with the FA gateway 12 to receive a registration request and an authentication request together with the face image from the shop client group 24, analyze the image information of the face image, and if the registration request is received, the registered face of the face image For registration and authentication requests as images, each FA sensor 10-1, 10-2,...

  Each FA sensor 10-1, 10-2,..., 10-m cooperates with the FA gateway 12 to analyze the image information of the face image based on the authentication request of the face image from the shop client group 24, The registered face image read out from the DB of the storage unit 8 is compared, and authentication of the face image related to the authentication request is executed. In this case, the distance consistency between the cameras and the FA sensor group 10 in the shop client group 24 and the number of cameras and the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,. Redundancy of different information is absorbed by the processing of the FA gateway 12.

  The center clients 30-1, 30-2,... 30-n included in the center client group 30 work in conjunction with the FA gateway 12 and the FTP server 6 to monitor the face image registration, authentication status, view the CRM, Registration and browsing of information is possible.

  In place of the center clients 30-1, 30-2,... 30-n, a single or a plurality of monitors capable of monitoring and browsing the registration status or authentication status of face images in conjunction with the FTP server 6 and the FA gateway 12. An FA controller may be provided. A management operation of various devices included in the face authentication center 22 may be performed with the FA controller.

  The FA controller 31 can be linked to the FTP server 6 and the FA gateway 12 to monitor and view the registration status or authentication status of face images, and manages and operates various devices included in the face authentication center 22.

<Function and hardware of shop client group 24>

  FIG. 4A shows an example of a deployment form of the shop client group 24. When the commercial facility 20 includes a plurality of stores 20-1, 20-2,... 20-n For example, as shown in A1, shop clients 24-1, 24-2,. -N may be arranged, and as shown in A2, for example, a plurality of shop clients 24-1, 24-2... May be arranged in one shop 20-1.

  In each shop client 24-1, 24-2,..., 24-n constituting the shop client group 24, information such as the image acquisition function, registration request, authentication request, authentication result display, alarm display, and the like described above. Processing is performed. In this information processing, as ancillary processing, if processing such as an integrated power function, human detection function, temperature / humidity detection, seismic function, etc. is performed, each shop client 24-1, 24-2,. The convenience of -n can be improved.

  In order to realize the above function in each shop client 24-1, 24-2,..., 24-n, each terminal 4 may be provided with hardware shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4B shows an example of the hardware of the terminal 4. The terminal 4 includes, for example, a camera 32, a processor 34, a storage unit 36, an input / output unit 38, a display unit 40, and an operation unit 42, and an alarm device 43 and a sensor group 44 are connected thereto.

  The camera 32 captures a face of the visitor and acquires a face image by a shutter operation by the operation unit 42 or a shutter operation by a human recognition function. The camera 32 may be built in the terminal 4, installed outside the terminal 4, or a network camera externally connected to the terminal 4.

  The processor 34 executes a face authentication program including face image acquisition and other application programs based on an operating system (OS) in the storage unit 36.

  The storage unit 36 includes a ROM (Read-Only Memory) and a RAM (Random-Access Memory), and a nonvolatile recording medium such as a hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device is used. The RAM constitutes a work area for information processing including image acquisition, registration request, authentication request, authentication result, and the like.

  The input / output unit 38 is connected to the WAN 14-1 via the communication interface 26, and performs information communication including input / output of information via the FA gateway 12 and the WAN 14-1.

  The display unit 40 is composed of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) element, and displays various types of visible information such as acquired images, authentication results, and alarms. The operation unit 42 is, for example, a user interface such as a touch panel, a keyboard, and a mouse, and inputs information through a user operation. The alarm device 43 issues an alarm based on visible information or audio information when a system abnormality or a suspicious person is found.

  For example, the sensor group 44 includes a smart meter 44-1, a temperature / humidity sensor 44-2, a human sensor 44-3, a seismic sensor 44-4, and the like. These may be connected to the terminals 4-1, 4-2... By wire, or may be wirelessly connected for communication. The smart meter 44-1 is an example of an integrating wattmeter, is directly attached to a commercial power outlet, measures the power used, and displays the power rate calculated from the measured value. This calculated power charge may target one store or a plurality of stores.

  The temperature / humidity sensor 44-2 electrically detects the temperature and humidity in the store. The detected value may be displayed on the display unit 40.

  The human sensor 44-3 detects visitors to the store. If it is a closed time or a closed day, it is used to detect a suspicious person. If the human sensor 44-3 detects a person, an alarm is generated in the alarm device 43 as the detection result, and the human result may be recorded in the storage unit 36.

  The seismic sensor 44-4 is an example of a seismometer and detects seismic intensity and the like. The detected seismic intensity may be displayed on the display unit 40 to provide guidance on the response at the time of the earthquake.

<Function and hardware of FA gateway 12>

  As described above, the FA gateway 12 has a relay function, a process decentralization function, and the like. In addition to these functions, the terminal group 4 and the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,... 10-m And a compensation function corresponding to the number of FA sensors 10-1, 10-2, ... 10-m. Each FA sensor 10-1, 10-2,..., 10-m analyzes the face image acquired by the camera 32 installed on the terminal group 4 side, and executes an authentication process to determine whether it matches the registered face image. To do. In this authentication system 2-2, the camera 32 and the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,..., 10-m are installed apart from each other, and the number of cameras 32 and the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,.・ ・ The number of 10-m is expected to be different. Therefore, the FA gateway 12 compensates for these distances and differences in the number of units, and realizes the optimization of the facial image authentication function.

  In order to realize such a function, the FA gateway 12 may include, for example, hardware shown in FIG. As an example, the FA gateway 12 includes a processor 48, a storage unit 50, and first and second input / output units 52-1 and 52-2.

  The processor 48 executes information processing of an OS in the storage unit 50 and a program related to information exchange in the share type face authentication program. The storage unit 50 includes a ROM and a RAM, uses a non-volatile recording medium such as a hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device, and stores the OS and application programs described above.

  The WAN 14-1 is connected to the input / output unit 52-1 via the communication interface 28, and the LAN 14-2 is connected to the input / output unit 52-2.

  As described above, the information processing executed by the FA gateway 12 receives a plurality of registration requests and authentication requests by simultaneous use of a plurality of terminals 4-1, 4-2,. Are distributed to the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2, ... 10-m free FA sensors. In this distribution process, priorities are assigned in advance to the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n and the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,. Sort requests such as requests.

<Function of FTP server 6, its hardware, and storage unit 8>

  For example, the FTP server 6 performs a face image writing process in the storage unit 8 in the face image registration mode, and various processes including face image processing such as a registered face image read process from the storage unit 8 in the face image authentication mode. Perform information processing. In the storage unit 8, a face image data table storing registered face images used by the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,... Ten authentication result information and CRM information are held by the DB 58. Note that retention of CRM information is provided as a customization function of the FA gateway 12, for example.

  Information processing of the FTP server 6 includes processing for calculating the storage capacity from the number of registered face images, the average number of authentications per day, and the face image storage period.

  In order to realize such a function, the FTP server 6 may be provided with, for example, hardware shown in FIG. The FTP server 6 includes a processor 54 and an input / output unit 56, and a storage unit 8 is connected to the FTP server 6. The storage unit 8 stores the above-described DB 58. The DB 58 includes a face image data table 60-1 (A in FIG. 7).

<Face image data table 60>

  FIG. 7A shows an example of the face image data table 60-1. The face image data table 60-1 is created in the face image registration mode. In the face image data table 60-1, for example, a registration number 60-11, a terminal ID 60-12, a registration date 60-13, a face image 60-14, and attribute information 60-15 are stored.

  Registration number 60-11 is information indicating the registration order of face images. The terminal ID 60-12 is identification information for specifying a terminal such as the device numbers of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n used for image registration. Registration date 60-13 is image registration date information. The face image 60-14 is a face image acquired from a visitor. The attribute information 60-15 is information relating to attributes such as the sex and credit information of the customer corresponding to the face image.

  FIG. 7B shows an example of the face image data table 60-2. The face image data table 60-2 is created in the face image authentication mode. The face image data table 60-2 stores an authentication number 60-21, a terminal ID 60-22, an authentication date 60-23, a face image 60-24, and authentication result information 60-25.

  The authentication number 60-21 is information indicating the authentication order of face images. The terminal ID 60-22 is identification information for identifying the terminal, such as the device numbers of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,. The authentication date 60-23 is date and time information of image authentication by any of the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,... 10-m. The face image 60-24 is a face image acquired from a visitor. The authentication result information 60-25 is result information indicating whether or not the face image acquired at the time of authentication matches the registered face image.

<Functions and hardware of FA sensor group 10>

  In the authentication mode, each FA sensor 10-1, 10-2,..., 10 -m of the FA sensor group 10 has authentication requests and face images distributed by the FA gateway 12 and registered faces provided from the FTP server 6. The image is collated and the authentication result by the collation is output.

  In order to realize such a function, each FA sensor 10-1, 10-2,..., 10-m may be provided with the hardware shown in FIG.

  The FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,... 10-m may be provided with a processor 62, a storage unit 64, and an input / output unit 66.

  The processor 62 executes a face authentication program based on the execution of the OS in the storage unit 64. In this face authentication program, the authentication request and the face image distributed by the FA gateway 12 are compared with the registered face image provided from the FTP server 6, and a match or mismatch determination result is output.

  The storage unit 64 includes a ROM and a RAM in addition to the OS, and uses a non-volatile recording medium such as a hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device, and stores an authentication program. The input / output unit 66 is connected to the LAN 14-2 and exchanges information with the FTP server 6 and the FA gateway 12.

<Functions and Hardware of Center Client Group 30>

  The center client group 30 includes a plurality of center clients 30-1, 30-2, ... 30-n. These center clients 30-1, 30-2, ... 30-n are, for example, terminals 4-1, 4-2, ... 4-n and shop clients 24-1, 24-2, ... 24. What is necessary is just to provide corresponding to -n.

  In these center clients 30-1, 30-2,..., 30-n, information processing relating to face image registration or authentication status monitoring and browsing or CRM information registration browsing is performed in conjunction with the FA gateway 12 and the FTP server 6. I do.

  In order to realize such a function, each center client 30-1, 30-2,..., 30-n may have the hardware shown in FIG.

  Each center client 30-1, 30-2,... 30-n includes a processor 68, a storage unit 70, an input / output unit 72, an operation unit 74, and a display unit 76. The processor 68 executes a face authentication program including face image acquisition and other application programs based on the OS in the storage unit 70.

  The storage unit 70 includes a ROM and a RAM, and a non-volatile recording medium such as a hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device is used. The RAM constitutes a work area for information processing related to image registration monitoring and browsing.

  The input / output unit 72 is connected to the LAN 14-2 and performs information communication including input / output of information with the FA gateway 12, the FTP server 6, or the FA sensor group 10.

  The operation unit 74 is, for example, a user interface such as a touch panel, a keyboard, and a mouse, and performs input such as information browsing through a user operation. The display unit 76 is composed of, for example, an LCD element and displays various types of visible information such as acquired images, authentication results, and alarms.

  When an FA controller is provided instead of the center client group 30, the FA controller may be provided with the same hardware as the center client 30-1, for example.

<Function and hardware of FA controller 31>

  In the FA controller 31, in the same way as the center clients 30-1, 30-2,... 30-n, in conjunction with the FA gateway 12 and the FTP server 6, the face image registration or authentication status monitoring and browsing or CRM information is performed. In addition to the registration browsing, the operation management of various devices on the face authentication center 22 side is performed.

  In order to realize such a function, the FA controller 31 may include, for example, hardware shown in FIG.

  Each FA controller 31 includes a processor 78, a storage unit 80, an input / output unit 82, an operation unit 84, and a display unit 86. The processor 78 executes a face authentication program including face image acquisition and other various device management programs based on the OS in the storage unit 80.

  The storage unit 80 includes a ROM and a RAM, and a non-volatile recording medium such as a hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device is used. The RAM constitutes a work area for information processing related to image registration monitoring and browsing.

  The input / output unit 82 is connected to the LAN 14-2 and performs information communication including input / output of information with the FA gateway 12, the FTP server 6, or the FA sensor group 10.

  The operation unit 84 is, for example, a user interface such as a touch panel, a keyboard, and a mouse, and performs input such as information browsing through a user operation. The display unit 86 is composed of, for example, an LCD element and displays various types of visible information such as management information of each device.

<Processing procedure of terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n>

  FIG. 11 shows an example of the processing procedure of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,. Each of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n is in a request standby state after the initialization process. This request includes, for example, a registration process and an authentication process, and selection of these processes is left to a user's selection operation input. The request may include processing such as sensor display, registration, or cancellation of authentication.

  In this processing procedure, after the request, the request content is determined (S201). If “registration” is selected, the mode shifts to a face information registration mode, and “registration mode on” is displayed on the display screen 88 of the display unit 40 (S202). This “registration mode on” is displayed as visible information on the display screen 88 of the display unit 40. Thereby, the user can visually recognize that the registration mode is being executed.

Following the display of “registration mode on”, face registration processing is executed (S203). For the face registration process,
(i) Acquisition of face images from shoppers
(j) Send facial image registration request and terminal identification information
(k) Includes receipt of registration completion notification. This face registration process may include transmission and reception of attribute information related to the store visitor. This attribute information may include accompanying information such as product purchase and VIP information.

  During the face registration process, it is determined whether the process is finished (End?) (S204). If the process is not finished (NO in S204), the face registration process (S203) is continued.

  If this face registration process is completed (YES in S204), the registration mode is canceled upon completion, and “registration mode off” is displayed on the display screen 88 of the display unit 40 (S205). This “registration mode off” is displayed as visible information on the display screen 88 of the display unit 40. Thereby, the user can visually recognize the end of registration of one of the shoppers (i) to (k) described above.

  When one registration is completed, it is determined whether an end command has been issued (S210). If the end command has not been issued (NO in S210), the process returns to S201, and the registration mode or authentication mode processing is continued.

  If the request content is “authentication” in S201, the face information authentication mode is entered and “authentication mode on” is displayed on the display screen 88 of the display unit 40 (S206). This “authentication mode input” is displayed as visible information on the display screen 88 of the display unit 40. Thereby, the user can visually recognize that the authentication mode is being executed.

Following this “authentication mode on” display, face authentication processing is executed (S207). In this face recognition process,
(l) Acquisition of face images from shoppers
(m) Face image authentication request and transmission of terminal identification information
(n) Includes reception of face image authentication completion notification. The authentication completion notification may include attribute information of the person to be authenticated. This attribute information may include additional information such as product purchase and VIP information.

  During this face authentication process, it is determined whether the process is finished (End?) (S208). If the process is not finished (NO in S208), the face authentication process (S207) is continued.

  If the face authentication process is completed (YES in S208), the authentication mode is canceled upon completion, and “authentication mode off” is displayed on the display screen 88 of the display unit 40 (S209). This “authentication mode off” is displayed as visible information on the display screen 88 of the display unit 40. As a result, the user can visually recognize the end of authentication of one of the shoppers (l) to (n) described above.

  If the authentication is completed once, it is determined whether an end command is issued (S210). If an end command has not been issued (NO in S210), the process returns to S201, and the registration mode (S202 to S205) or authentication mode (S206 to S209) processing is continued.

  If an end command has been issued (YES in S210), an end process is executed (S211), and all processes are ended.

<Display example of shop client group 24 (or center client group 30)>

  A display screen 88 is displayed on the display unit 40 of the shop client group 24 as shown in FIG. When shifting to the facial image registration mode, a message 90-1 indicating “registration mode on” is displayed on the display screen 88, as shown in FIG.

  When the facial image registration mode is terminated, a message 90-2 representing "registration mode off" is displayed on the display screen 88 as shown in FIG.

  When shifting to the face image authentication mode, a message 92-1 indicating "authentication mode on" is displayed on the display screen 88, as shown in FIG.

  When the facial image authentication mode is terminated, a message 92-2 indicating “authentication mode off” is displayed on the display screen 88, as shown in FIG.

  Note that the messages 90-1, 90-2, 92-1, and 92-2 may be other symbols and images representing “ON” and “OFF” in the registration mode and the authentication mode.

<Processing procedure of FA gateway 12>

  FIG. 13 shows an example of the processing procedure of the FA gateway 12. The FA gateway 12 is maintained in a standby state for receiving instructions from the terminals 4-1, 4-2,.

  A request is received from the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n, and it is determined whether the content of the request is “registration” or “authentication” (S301).

  If the request is “registration”, it is determined whether the request is the FTP server 6 (S302). If it is not the FTP server 6 (NO in S302), the process returns to S301 to determine the request content (S301). If it is the FTP server 6 (YES in S302), an inquiry to the FA controller 31 is executed (S303), and the process proceeds to S305.

  If the request of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n is “authentication”, it is determined whether the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,. S304). If the FA sensor 10-1, 10-2,..., 10-m has a vacancy (YES in S304), an authentication acknowledgment (ACK) is transmitted to the inquiry terminal, and connection processing (gate open) for this terminal is executed. (S305).

  If there is no free space in FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,..., 10-m (NO in S304), a standby request is transmitted to the inquiry terminal (S306), and S305 is skipped.

  After S305 or S306, it is determined whether an end command has been issued (S307). If the end command has not been issued (NO in S307), the process returns to S301, and the request determination is continued.

  If an end command has been issued (YES in S307), an end process is executed (S308), and all processes are ended.

<Processing procedure of FA controller 31>

  As shown in A and B of FIG. 14, the processing of the FA controller 31 includes, for example, ENTRY1 and ENTRY2 as the first and second processing.

   In ENTRY1, as shown in FIG. 14A, the state of the FTP server 6 is constantly monitored (S401), and the state of each FA sensor 10-1, 10-2,... 10-m is constantly monitored (S402). ) Is executed continuously.

  The processing of ENTRY1 is continuously executed, and it is determined whether an end command is issued during this execution (S403). If the end command has not been issued (NO in S403), the process returns to S401 of ENTRY1, and the continuation of the process of ENTRY1 is maintained. If an end command has been issued (YES in S403), an end process is executed (S404), and all the processes of ENTRY1 are ended.

   In ENTRY2, as shown in FIG. 14B, the inquiry waiting state of the FA gateway 12 is maintained (S411). It is determined whether the request received from this inquiry state is the FA sensor 10-1, 10-2,... 10-m or the FTP server 6 (S412).

  If the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,... 10-m are in a state where these FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,. , “FA sensor = ready” representing the state is returned, or if the FA sensor 10-1, 10-2,... "FA sensor = busy" is returned (S413).

  In S412, if the FTP server 6 is in a state where the FTP server 6 can accept the request, “FTP server = ready” indicating the state is returned, or the FTP server 6 performs a request in the running state. Is not accepted, “FTP server = busy” representing the state is returned (S414).

  This ENTRY2 process is repeatedly executed, and it is determined whether an end command is issued even during this execution (S415). If the end command has not been issued (NO in S415), the process returns to S411 in ENTRY2, and the continuation of the ENTRY2 process is maintained. If an end command has been issued (YES in S415), an end process is executed (S416), and all processes of ENTRY2 are ended.

<Processing procedure of FTP server 6>

  FIG. 15 shows the processing procedure of the FTP server 6.

  In this processing procedure, when the FTP server 6 receives a request from the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n, the request content is determined (S501).

  If the request is “registration”, registration processing is executed (S502). If the request is “authentication”, authentication processing is executed (S503).

  These processes are repeatedly executed continuously, and it is determined whether an end command is issued during the execution (S504). If the end command has not been issued (NO in S504), the process returns to S501 and the continuation of the process is maintained. If an end command has been issued (YES in S504), an end process is executed (S505), and all processes are ended.

<Processing procedure of each FA sensor 10-1, 10-2, ... 10-m>

  FIG. 16 shows the processing procedure of each FA sensor 10-1, 10-2,. Each FA sensor 10-1, 10-2,..., 10-m in operation receives an authentication request and determines whether there is a request.

  If there is a request (YES in 601), the operation flag is set to ON and the face information to be authenticated is received as a trigger (S602).

  Authentication processing is performed on the received face information to be authenticated (S603). This authentication process determines whether the acquired face image matches the registered face image. During this authentication process, it is determined whether DB = empty for the DB storing the face information to be authenticated (S604). If DB = empty (NO in S604), the process returns to S603, and the authentication process is continued until DB = empty.

  If DB = empty (YES in S604), the process ends and the operation flag is set to OFF (S605). With this as an opportunity, one authentication process ends, and if there is a subsequent authentication process, the process returns to S601 for the next authentication. Execute the process.

  This authentication process is repeatedly executed continuously, and it is determined whether an end command is issued during the execution (S606). If the end command has not been issued (NO in S606), the process returns to S601 as described above, and the continuation of the process is maintained. If an end command has been issued (YES in S606), an end process is executed (S607), and all processes are ended.

<Face image registration mode>

  FIG. 17 shows a processing sequence in the facial image registration mode.

  The face image registration mode is executed between the terminal group 4 and the FTP server 6 via the FA gateway 12. In this registration mode, the FA sensor group 10 used in the authentication mode is not used.

  When “registration mode input” is designated from any one or more of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n, registration request processing is executed (S701). By this registration request processing, a registration request is transmitted to the FA gateway 12 from any one or more of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n (S702). Terminal identification information is individually attached to the registration request transmission information. This terminal identification information is information for identifying the terminal that issued the registration request.

  In response to the registration request, the FA gateway 12 exchanges information based on prioritization when a plurality of terminals are used simultaneously (S703). In other words, the FA gateway 12 can receive a plurality of registration requests by simultaneous use of a plurality of terminals, and performs a distributed process by prioritizing the plurality of registration requests.

  Upon receiving these registration requests, the FA gateway 12 makes an inquiry to the FA controller 31 corresponding to the registration request (S704). In response to the registration request, the FA controller 31 returns a server status to the terminal (S705). The FA controller 31 always communicates with the FTP server 6 and constantly monitors the server operating state (S706). As a result, the server operating state is notified from the FA controller 31 to the FA gateway 12 (S707).

  The registration request transmitted from the FA gateway 12 is notified from the FA controller 31 to the FTP server 6 (S708). The server management process (S709) of the FTP server 6 includes information communication corresponding to continuous monitoring of the server operating state, a response indicating whether or not registration is possible, and the like.

  In response to the registration request from the terminal notified from the FA controller 31, if the FTP server 6 can respond, the FTP server 6 transmits that it is compatible (S710). The FA gateway 12 that has received the correspondence status notification returns a notification that the correspondence is available to the terminal that issued the registration request (S711).

  The terminal 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n that has received the notification that registration is possible performs a transmission process of face image information (S712).

  The face image information from the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n that has received notification that registration is possible is transmitted to the FA gateway 12 (S713). Terminal information is attached to the transmission information. As a result, the terminal that issued the registration request and the terminal that transmits the face image are specified by the terminal identification information.

  In this case, the face image information is transmitted from the FA gateway 12 to the FTP server 6 (S714). The FTP server 6 executes registration of the received face image in the specific user area of the DB 58 (S715). When this face image registration processing is completed, the FTP server 6 transmits a notification that the registration is completed (S716), and the FA gateway 12 and the FA controller 31 are notified of the completion of registration.

  The FA gateway 12 that has received the registration completion notification notifies the registration completion to the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n that have issued the registration request (S717). Upon receipt of this registration completion notification, the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n that issued the registration request cancel the registration mode, and the terminals that maintain “registration mode on” The registration mode is turned off, and the registration mode processing is completed (S718).

<Face image authentication mode>

  FIG. 18 shows a processing sequence in the face image authentication mode.

  The face image authentication mode is executed between the terminal group 4 and the FA sensor group 10 with the FA gateway 12 interposed.

  When “authentication mode input” is designated from any one or more of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,... 4-n, authentication request processing is executed (S 801). By processing this authentication request, an authentication request is transmitted to the FA gateway 12 from any one or more of the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n (S802). Terminal identification information is individually attached to the transmission information of the authentication request. This terminal identification information is information for identifying the terminal that issued the authentication request.

  Upon receiving the authentication request, the FA gateway 12 executes an information exchange control function based on prioritization when a plurality of terminals are used simultaneously (S803). In other words, the FA gateway 12 can receive a plurality of authentication requests by simultaneous use of a plurality of terminals, execute a distributed process by prioritizing the plurality of authentication requests, and distribute them to a plurality of FA sensors. Execute authentication process.

  Upon receiving these authentication requests, the FA gateway 12 makes an inquiry to the FA controller 31 corresponding to the authentication request (S804). In response to the authentication request, the FA controller 31 transmits empty FA sensor information for the terminal to the terminal that issued the authentication request (S805). The FA controller 31 monitors the load state of the FA sensor group 10 through constant communication with the FA sensor group 10 (S806), and an empty FA sensor in the FA sensor group 10 is specified by the load status of the FA sensor group 10 ( S807). The empty FA sensor information obtained by this monitoring is utilized. As a result, the FA controller 31 notifies the FA gateway 12 of authentication request acknowledgment (ACK) and sensor identification information indicating an empty sensor (S808).

  Acknowledgment of these authentication requests (ACK) and sensor identification information indicating an empty sensor are notified from the FA gateway 12 to the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n that have issued the authentication request (S809).

  In response to this notification, the terminal 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n executes transmission processing of face image information (S810).

  The face image information from the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n that has received the notification that authentication is possible is transmitted to the FA gateway 12 (S811). Terminal information is attached to the transmission information. Thus, the terminal that issued the authentication request and the terminal that transmits the face image are specified by the terminal identification information.

  In this case, the face image information is transmitted from the FA gateway 12 to the free FA sensor of the FA sensor group 10 (S812). The FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,..., 10-m that have received the face image information execute an authentication process for checking whether or not they match with the registered face images in the DB 58 (S813).

  Based on the authentication result, the result information is transmitted to the FA gateway 12 from the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,..., 10-m that have executed the authentication process (S814). Receiving this result information, the FA gateway 12 transmits the result information to the terminal that has issued the authentication request (S815). The terminal that has received the result information displays the result information based on the reception of the result information (S816).

  The FA sensor that has completed authentication transmits an authentication completion notification and terminal identification information (S817), and these are notified to the FA controller 31 and the FA gateway 12. Receiving this notification, the FA gateway 12 transfers them to the terminal that issued the authentication request (S818). Upon receipt of this authentication completion notification, the terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n that issued the authentication request cancel the authentication mode, and terminals that maintain “authentication mode on” The authentication mode is turned off, and the authentication mode processing is completed (S819).

<Effects of Second Embodiment>

  According to the second embodiment, the following functions and effects can be obtained in addition to the functions and effects of the first embodiment described above.

  (1) According to this system 2-2, the face authentication center 22 can register the face images of a plurality of stores and clients and perform centralized management of authentication, thereby facilitating operation and maintenance.

  (2) According to this system 2-2, a management system can be individually constructed for each store or company that develops a store in the commercial facility 20, and customer management information can be shared and used.

  (3) With this system 2-2, it is possible to flexibly cope with an increase or decrease in the number of stores of the commercial facility 20.

  (4) The system provider can collectively manage customer management and operation / maintenance of the commercial facility 20.

  (5) The failure of the terminal group 4 or FA sensor group 10 installed in the store can be repaired without stopping the entire system. -2 can be used. A virtually fault-free system can be realized.

  (6) The operation at the time of recovery from a failure of a terminal installed in the store and the operation check between each terminal can be quickly performed, and the reliability of the system 2-2 can be improved.

  (7) By integrating incidental management information necessary for customer management information into the DB 58, various management such as sales promotion and crime prevention can be realized comprehensively.

  (8) According to such a system 2-2, registration of face images and recording of authentication results can be shared and used as compared with the case where a face authentication system is installed in an individual store. It can also be used to monitor people who need attention such as shoplifting. Such use is important and beneficial. In the form of installation for each store, it is possible to remove the introduction barrier that the equipment cost and the management cost are required, and the spread and introduction of the system 2-2 can be promoted. Precious monitoring data for each store can be used between a plurality of stores, and the authentication result can be used as general-purpose data.

  (8) When an existing system is constructed, such a system can be integrated into the system 2-2 and reconstructed, and existing facial image registration data and authentication information can be utilized. It is possible to streamline human management and monitoring by integrating information and sharing management information, and to achieve synergistic effects of cost reduction and highly reliable management and monitoring.

  (9) Each shop client in the shop client group 24 does not need to have the same function, and the FA sensor in the FA sensor group 10 does not have to have the same function, and uses processing such as face authentication on the premise of different functions. it can.

  (10) Since the center client group 30 can register the face image and monitor and view the authentication status in conjunction with the FA gateway 12 and the FTP server 6, it is convenient for the user in combination with these functions on the shop client group 24 side. improves.

  (11) Since a plurality of registration requests and authentication requests are distributed and relayed by the FA gateway 12, the load on the shop client group 24, the FA sensor group 10, and the center client group 30 can be reduced.

  (12) If the WAN 14-1 and the LAN 14-2 side network are constructed separately and the security is increased by encrypting the information on the shop client group 24 side of the WAN 14-1, the security on the LAN 14-2 side is reduced. And cost reduction can be achieved.

  (13) The system 2-2 is equipped with various sensors 44-X such as a smart meter 44-1 and a temperature / humidity sensor 44-2 which are directly connected to the terminals 4 and connected to each terminal group 4. Electricity rate information can be acquired, energy savings can be promoted, and total energy management services can be provided along with cost reduction.

  (14) The suspicious person can be automatically detected by the human sensor 44-3 at the time of unattended nighttime or holiday, and the safety in the store can be improved. The detection information of the human sensor 44-3 can be transmitted from the terminal group 4 to an information terminal such as a user's smartphone and notified.

  (15) The usage status of the terminal 4 can be used as a database to monitor the status of the system 2-2. The status is displayed on the terminal 4 or transmitted to the user's information terminal through the network. Can build status and support services.

  (16) If one system 2-2 is installed, the system 2-2 can be linked to the system 2-2 installed in other commercial facilities or individual stores, and CRM information can be shared. It is.

  (17) With regard to various types of information stored in the database in the system 2-2, for example, specific person information such as VIP and excellent customer information is treated as specific to a specific store, and sensitive person information is shared as information shared by participating stores. Can be used. If this system 2-2 is used, for example, if it is detected that the commercial facility 20 has been entered or exited, simultaneous guidance will be provided. If the store has entered a specific store, the store name and information on the person who needs attention will be notified. For example, it can be used to build a system that can prevent losses from shoplifting among all stores.

<The number of FA sensors installed and their calculation method>

  This method of calculating the number of installed FA sensors may be realized by information processing using the FA controller 31, for example.

  The FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,... 10-m can accept a plurality of authentication requests at the same time. Thereby, in the FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,... 10-m that have received a plurality of authentication requests, the respective authentication processes are executed sequentially. The number of simultaneous authentication processes is determined by the number of FA sensors. Therefore, the number of FA sensors may be determined by the following processing procedure.

  FIG. 19 shows a processing procedure for calculating the number of installed FA sensors.

  If the authentication time required for face image authentication is tc, the authentication time tc varies depending on the number of registered face images, the image size, and network traffic. Let tm be the message communication time associated with this face authentication, and let tp be the processing time including this message communication time tm. The authentication time tc and the message communication time tm are input (S901).

Upon receiving these inputs, for example, the FA controller 31 obtains a processing time tp from the authentication time tc and the message communication time tm (S902). In this case, the processing time tp is the sum of these values.
tp = tc + tm (1)
Is calculated from

  If the allowable processing time T is set, the allowable processing time T is input (S903). Instead of this input, the processing allowable time T may be stored in the storage unit 80 in advance.

The number Pn of authentication processes is calculated using the process allowable time T and the process time tp (S904). The number of authentication processes Pn is
Pn = T ÷ tp (2)
It is requested from. In this process, the number Pn of authentication processes taking into account the extra time is set (S905). This setting may be input by the user, or stored in advance in the storage unit 80, and the value may be automatically read out.

  The number of stores in the commercial facility is n, and the operating rate η estimated from the number of operating stores is input (S906).

Based on these input values, the required number m of FA sensors used for authentication processing is
m = n × η ÷ Pn (3)
(S907).

  Then, the calculation result is displayed on the display unit 86 (S908). This display may include all or two or more of the above-described authentication time tc, message communication time tm, processing time tp, allowable processing time T, authentication processing number Pn, store number n, and operation rate η.

  The face data generation requires a plurality of message communications, and about 1 [second] is required including the transmission of the message data. Assuming a sufficient number of processes, it is assumed that the number of registrations is smaller than the number of authentications. Therefore, the number of processes does not affect the number of FA sensors 10-1, 10-2,.

  An example of calculating the number of FA sensors installed is shown below.

In the authentication system 2-2, the processing time tp ≦ 500 [msec] described above is assumed. In this case, if the processing allowable time T is, for example, T = 3 [seconds], the number of authentication processes Pn within the processing allowable time T is
Pn = T ÷ tp
= 3 [seconds] ÷ 500 [msec] = 6 [processing] (4)
It becomes. For this process, Pn = 5 [process] may be effective as the number Pn of authentication processes considering the allowance time.

Therefore, assuming that the number of stores in a commercial facility is n = 500 and that 50 stores simultaneously request authentication, the availability factor η is 10 [%]. Therefore, the FA sensor 10− used in this authentication process The required number m of 1, 10-2, ... 10-m is
m = n × η ÷ Pn
= 500 [number of stores] x 10 [%] ÷ 5 [processing]
= 10 [unit] (5)
It becomes.

<Effect of calculating the number of FA sensor installations>

  As described above, the number of FA sensors to be installed in the FA sensor group 10 can be optimized in consideration of the number of terminals 4 installed, the number of stores, and the operation rate η. Thereby, reduction of equipment cost and introduction of system 2-2 to a large-scale commercial facility can be promoted.

[Other Embodiments]

  (1) In the above embodiment, the commercial facility 20 is illustrated as the installation location of the system 2-2. However, the system 2-2 may be a public facility such as a school other than the commercial facility or another monitoring facility. .

  (2) For the CRM terminals 4-1, 4-2,..., 4-n, a smartphone used by a general user having a photographing function and a communication function may be used.

  (3) In addition to the wired LAN, a wireless LAN may be used for the WAN 14-1 and the LAN 14-2.

  (4) The commercial facility 20 described above is not limited to the case where the stores are concentrated in one place, and may be a collection of separated stores.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the processing allowable time T is set, and as an example, T = 3 [seconds]. However, this time T can be set in consideration of the capabilities of the systems 2-1 and 2-2. A few seconds may be assumed as an appropriate time.

  (6) Registration history information and authentication history information are stored in the face image data tables 60-1 and 60-2 of the DB 58 of the above embodiment, and the number of visits, purchased products, addresses, etc. are recorded in this history information. It may be used to differentiate customers. In addition, these information may be configured to be erased by setting or automatically when a long time has elapsed since registration or authentication.

As described above, the most preferable embodiment of the technology of the present invention has been described. The present invention is not limited to the above description. Various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art based on the gist of the invention described in the claims or disclosed in the embodiments for carrying out the invention. It goes without saying that such modifications and changes are included in the scope of the present invention.

The technology of this disclosure uses CRM terminals and FA sensors to share CRM information to reduce equipment costs and management costs, and to create an efficient and rational face authentication system in commercial facilities with multiple stores. Realizable and useful.

2-1, 2-2 Share type face authentication system 4 CRM terminal group 4-1, 4-2, ... 4-n CRM terminal 6 FTP server 8 Storage unit 10 FA sensor group 10-1, 10-2, ... 10-m FA sensor 12 FA gateway 14-1 WAN
14-2 LAN
20 Commercial facilities 20-1, 20-2, ... 20-n Store 22 Face authentication center 24 Shop client group 24-1, 24-2, ... 24-n Shop client 26, 28 Communication interface 30 Center client Group 30-1, 30-2, ... 30-n Center client 31 FA controller 32 Camera 34, 48, 54, 62, 68, 78 Processor 36, 50, 64, 70, 80 Storage unit 38, 52-1 , 52-2, 56, 66, 72, 82 I / O unit 40, 76, 86 Display unit 42, 74, 84 Operation unit 43 Alarm device 44 Sensor group 44-1 Smart meter 44-2 Temperature / humidity sensor 44-3 Human sensor 44-4 Seismic sensor 44-X ... Sensor 58 Database (DB)
60-1, 60-2 Face image data table 88 Display screen 90-1, 90-2, 92-1, 92-2 Message

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the customer management system of the present invention, there is provided a customer management system for managing visitor of a store, which is arranged in each of a plurality of stores, and at least faces of visitors of each store One or two or more terminals that acquire images, a storage unit that registers the face image acquired by the terminal in relation to customer information that specifies at least the visitor, and the registration request from the terminal the face image and registers in the storage unit, receives the server to read the registration image from the storage unit according to the authentication request from the terminal, the face image according to the authentication request of the terminal, said pigment image is the storage a plurality of authentication unit for performing the or matches a registered face image authentication in section, a state monitoring unit that monitors the status of the server and the plurality of the authentication unit, the terminal and the server and the certification Relays between the parts, accepts the registration request emanating from a plurality of the terminals, along with to perform registration processing to the storage portion of the face image according to the registration request to the server, emitted from a plurality of said terminals receiving an authentication request for, and processing means for performing the authentication process of the authentication request to the authentication unit selected from a plurality of the authentication unit by using the face image in which the server is read from the storage unit, the When the processing means receives the registration request from a plurality of the terminals by simultaneous use from a plurality of the terminals, the processing means confirms the state of the server by a notification from the state monitoring unit, so that the server can be registered. For example, the face images received from the plurality of terminals are provided to the server according to the priorities assigned to the plurality of terminals in advance, and registration processing is performed. When the authentication request is received from a plurality of the terminals by simultaneous use of the terminal, the status of the plurality of authentication units obtained by the notification from the status monitoring unit and the plurality of terminals or the plurality of authentication units are attached in advance. accordance with the priority, the selecting the authentication unit to perform authentication processing, Ru to perform the authentication processing of the authentication request to the authentication unit that the selected.

In such a customer management system, the processing unit relays between the plurality of terminals, the server, and the plurality of authentication units, so that the facial images are registered in advance according to the priorities assigned to the plurality of terminals. To the server to perform registration processing, and to distribute authentication requests due to simultaneous use of a plurality of terminals, in accordance with the status of a plurality of authentication units and the priorities assigned to a plurality of terminals or a plurality of the authentication units in advance. , distributed to a plurality of authentication unit, Ru allowed to the authentication unit apportioned perform authentication processing. The registration process and authentication process are not delayed due to the effects of multiple registration requests and multiple authentication requests, and the registration face image registration process can be streamlined and the operation rate of multiple authentication units can be averaged quickly. In addition, stable registration processing and authentication processing can be performed. In a commercial facility having a plurality of stores where a plurality of terminals are arranged, an efficient operation of the face authentication system can be realized.

In the customer management system, said server the face image from the previous SL terminal according to an authentication request of the face image read out from the storage unit, may be provided to the authentication unit that performs authentication processing.

In such a customer management system, since the face image related to the authentication request is read from the storage unit and provided to the authentication unit to which the authentication request is distributed, the authentication process of the face image can be speeded up.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the customer management program of the present invention, there is provided a customer management program to be executed by a computer, wherein one or two or more terminals installed in each of a plurality of stores are at least in each store. In response to a registration request from the terminal , the face image acquired from the visitor is registered in the storage unit in association with at least customer information for identifying the visitor, and the terminal is acquired. registered image from the storage unit in response to an authentication request from read the server, the monitor server status and a plurality of the authentication unit receives the face image according to the authentication request of the terminal, said pigment image is the authentication or matching registered face image in the storage unit performs the one of the authentication portion of the plurality of authentication unit, when receiving the registration request emanating from a plurality of the terminals, processing means the shape The status of the server is confirmed by a notification from the monitoring unit, and if the server is in a registerable state, the terminal is selected in accordance with the priorities assigned to the plurality of terminals in advance and received from the selected terminal. providing the face image to the server, when Ru receives an authentication request emanating from a plurality of said terminals, and states of the plurality of the authentication unit obtained by notification from the status monitoring unit, in advance a plurality of said terminals or The processing unit selects the authentication unit that performs the authentication process from the plurality of authentication units in accordance with the priority assigned to the authentication unit, and distributes the authentication request authentication process to the selected authentication unit Processing is executed by the computer.

Such a customer management program captures the above-mentioned customer management system in terms of the program in computer processing. Therefore, if this program is used, the above system can be operated on a computer, and registration processing and authentication processing are not delayed due to the effects of multiple registration requests and multiple authentication requests, and the registration face image registration processing is efficient. In addition, the operating rates of a plurality of authentication units can be averaged, and a rapid and stable registration process and authentication process can be performed.

Claims (12)

A customer management system for managing store visitors,
One or more terminals that are arranged in a plurality of stores and obtain at least a face image of a visitor;
A storage unit for registering the face image acquired by the terminal in association with at least customer information for identifying the visitor;
A server that reads a registered image from the storage unit in response to an authentication request from the terminal;
A plurality of authentication units for receiving a face image related to the authentication request of the terminal and authenticating whether the face image matches a registered face image in the storage unit;
Processing means for accepting authentication requests issued from a plurality of the terminals, and causing the authentication unit selected from the plurality of authentication units to perform authentication processing of the authentication request;
A customer management system characterized by comprising:
The processing means receives authentication requests issued from a plurality of the terminals, and distributes authentication processing of the authentication requests to the authentication sections according to a priority order assigned in advance to the plurality of authentication sections. As described in the customer management system.
The server registers the face image related to the face image registration request from the terminal in the storage unit, or reads the face image related to the face image authentication request from the terminal from the storage unit,
The processing means relays between the terminal and the server, distributes a plurality of registration requests by simultaneous use of a plurality of the terminals, and provides the server with the registration requests.
The customer management system according to claim 1 or claim 2.
Information at least exchanged between the processing means and the server is encrypted,
The customer management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
When the processing means receives a plurality of the authentication requests, the processing means distributes the authentication requests to the authentication unit according to a priority assigned to the terminal.
The customer management system according to claim 1.
The number of installed authentication units is at least the value obtained by dividing the allowable processing time by the authentication processing time required for the authentication processing or its neighborhood value as the number of authentication processing, and the number of installed authentication terminals or The value obtained by dividing the number of operations is the value obtained by multiplying the operation rate, or its neighborhood value.
The customer management system according to claim 1, claim 4 or claim 5.
The authentication request or the registration request includes at least one of or both of identification information of the terminal and attribute information of the visitor together with the face image.
The customer management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
8. The customer management system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of terminals included in the terminal group is deployed in two or more of the stores of a commercial facility including a plurality of stores. 9. .
A customer management program to be executed by a computer,
One or more terminals installed in multiple stores obtain at least a visitor's face image,
The face image acquired from the visitor by the terminal is associated with at least customer information for identifying the visitor and registered in the storage unit,
In response to an authentication request from the terminal, a registered image is read from the storage unit to a server,
A face image related to the authentication request of the terminal is received, and any one of a plurality of authentication sections performs authentication of whether the face image matches a registered face image in the storage section,
A customer management program for accepting authentication requests issued from a plurality of the terminals and causing the computer to execute processing for distributing authentication processing of the authentication requests to the authentication unit selected by the processing means from the plurality of authentication units.
The processing means includes processing for accepting authentication requests issued from a plurality of the terminals, and distributing the authentication processing of the authentication requests to the authentication units according to a priority order assigned in advance to the plurality of authentication units. Item 10. The customer management program according to Item 9.
Relay between the terminal and the server,
Distributing multiple registration requests by simultaneous use of multiple terminals,
Providing a plurality of registration requests to the server;
The customer management program according to claim 9 or 10.
Further, the number of the authentication units installed is a value obtained by dividing the allowable processing time by at least the authentication processing time required for the authentication processing or a value near the authentication processing number, and the number of authentication processings is used to install the terminal. Including processing to determine the value obtained by dividing the number or the number of operations by the value obtained by multiplying the operation rate or a value near it.
The customer management program according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

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