Traffic control apparatus, method thereof, and program therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9036875-B2
Application number	US-201414169246-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2014
Priority date	Feb 6, 2013
Publication date	May 19, 2015
Grant date	May 19, 2015

Abstract

There is provided a traffic control apparatus including: an image input unit configured to input an image including a face of a user; a face detecting unit configured to detect a face area of the user from the image; a generating unit configured to obtain a difference between a state of the detected face area and a state of a optimal face area, and generate presentation information for instructing the user to move his or her face to a position suitable for the face recognition when the difference is large; and a noticing unit having a plurality of keys arranged in a matrix pattern, and configured to illuminate, blink, or extinguish one or the plurality of keys for specifying the position that the face is to be moved to on the basis of the presentation information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A traffic control apparatus comprising:
an image input unit with a processor configured to input an image including a face of a user taken by a camera;
a face detecting unit with a processor configured to detect a face area of the user from the image;
a generating unit with a processor configured to obtain a difference between a state of the detected face area and a state of a face area suitable for face recognition, and generate presentation information for instructing the user to move the face to a position and an orientation suitable for the face recognition when the difference is larger than a threshold value; and
a noticing unit with a processor having a plurality of keys arranged in a matrix pattern, and configured to illuminate, blink, or extinguish one or the plurality of keys for specifying the position or the direction that the face is to be moved on the basis of the presentation information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the presentation information generated by the generating unit is light-emitting patterns of the plurality of keys arranged in the matrix pattern.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the presentation information generated by the generating unit includes information indicating a current state of the face area of the user.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the noticing unit includes a light-emitting element in the interior of the key.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the state of the face area is a predetermined position or a predetermined size of the face area in the image.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the face detecting unit detects a partial face area of the user from the image; and
the generating unit generates the presentation information on the basis of the partial face area.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a person detecting unit with a processor configured to detect an entire area or a partial area of the body from an image in which the body of the user appears, wherein the generating unit generates the presentation information on the basis of the entire area or the partial area.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising an image input unit with a processor configured to output the image to the person detecting unit.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an extracting unit with a processor configured to extract an amount of characteristic of the face of the user from the image; a storage unit with a processor configured to store an amount of characteristic of a face of a person allowed to pass through as a registered amount of characteristic in advance; and a recognizing unit with a processor configured to perform the face recognition of the user by collating the extracted amount of characteristic and the registered amount of characteristic.

10. A method controlling traffic comprising:
inputting an image including a face of a user taken by a camera;
detecting a face area of the user from the image;
obtaining a difference between a state of the detected face area and a state of a face area suitable for face recognition, and generating presentation information for instructing the user to move the face to a position and an orientation suitable for the face recognition when the difference is larger than a threshold value; and
and illuminating, blinking, or extinguishing one or a plurality of keys for specifying the position or the direction that the face is to be moved on the basis of the presentation information for a noticing unit having the plurality of keys arranged in a matrix pattern.

11. A program stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium, causing a computer to perform:
an image input function configured to input an image including a face of a user taken by a camera;
a face detecting function configured to detect a face area of the user from the image;
a generating function configured to obtain a difference between a state of the detected face area and a state of a face area suitable for face recognition, and generate presentation information for instructing the user to move the face to a position and an orientation suitable for the face recognition when the difference is larger than a threshold value; and
a presentation function configured to illuminate, blink, or extinguish one or a plurality of keys for determining the position or the direction that the face moves on the basis of the presentation information for a noticing unit having the plurality of keys arranged in a matrix pattern.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Yuasa Mayumi

Classifications

• G06V40/172

  Classification, e.g. identification · CPC title

• G06V40/166 Primary

  using acquisition arrangements · CPC title

• G06K9/00912

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K9/00255 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06V40/67

  by interactive indications to the user · CPC title