JP5239458B2 - Biometric authentication device and biometric authentication program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a biometric authentication in a biometric authentication system including an external server device that holds biometric information of a user and performs biometric authentication, and a biometric authentication device that requests biometric authentication processing from the external server device. The present invention relates to a device and a biometric authentication program.

  Conventionally, the spread of biometric authentication devices has begun due to increasing needs for security enhancement. In the current biometric authentication device, specification of an identification number is received from a user by using a numeric keypad or an ID card to identify the biometric authentication information of the user, and thereafter input of biometric information (for example, vein, fingerprint, iris, face, etc.) is accepted. . Then, the biometric authentication device performs “1: 1 authentication” in which it is authenticated whether the biometric information specified by the identification number matches the biometric authentication directly acquired from the user.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-85249), biometric data related to biometric authentication is divided into arbitrary sizes and registered, and the biometric data captured via the registered biometric data and sensors is registered. A biometric authentication device that performs authentication by verifying authentication data in divided units is disclosed.

  However, veins, fingerprints, irises, faces, and the like, which are information used for biometric authentication, often involve complicated image processing and often require a single authentication. That is, when there are many registered users, the biometric authentication apparatus needs to authenticate with a plurality of biometric data, and the time for waiting for the user on the spot becomes long. As a result, it is not convenient for the user.

  Recently, in order to avoid this, a system that realizes high-speed “1: N authentication” by using an external server that can withstand high-speed processing and performing complex image processing on the external server has been considered. .

  Specifically, when biometric information is acquired from the user, the biometric authentication device transmits this biometric information to an external server that can withstand high-speed processing. The external server that has received this searches for biometric information that matches the biometric information, and transmits an authentication result indicating whether or not the biometric information is registered to the biometric authentication device. Thus, the biometric authentication device determines that the authentication is permitted when the biometric information of the user is registered, that is, when the authentication permission authentication result is received. On the other hand, if the user's biometric information is not registered, that is, if an authentication rejection authentication result is received, the biometric authentication device determines that authentication is rejected. In this way, the biometric authentication device uses an external server that can withstand high-speed processing, and realizes high-speed “1: N authentication” by performing complex image processing on the external server.

JP 2006-85249 A

  However, the above-described conventional technology has a problem in that authentication processing cannot be performed when a failure occurs in the external server itself or when a failure occurs in communication with the external server.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and performs authentication processing even when a failure occurs in the external server itself or when a failure occurs in communication with the external server. An object of the present invention is to provide a biometric authentication device and a biometric authentication program.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present apparatus includes an external server device that performs biometric authentication while retaining biometric information of a user, and a biometric device that requests biometric authentication processing from the external server device A biometric authentication device in a biometric authentication system comprising an authentication device, wherein biometric information storage means stores biometric information acquired in advance from the user in association with an identifier for uniquely identifying the user; The external server confirmation means for confirming the life / death state indicating whether each of the external server devices is operating normally at predetermined intervals, and the external server confirmation means determines that the external server is operating normally. When the user who performs the biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, the biometric information is received from the user and the received biometric information is transmitted to the external server device. Biometric information transmitting means, user biometric information transmitted to the external server device by the biometric information transmitting means, and biometric authentication result receiving means from the external server device; and the external server confirming means When it is determined that the external server is not operating normally and the user performing the biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, an identifier is received from the user, and the biometric information corresponding to the received identifier is Biometric information specifying means for specifying from biometric information storage means, biometric information receiving means for receiving biometric information from the user when the biometric information corresponding to the identifier acquired by the biometric information specifying means is specified, and It is determined whether or not the biometric information received by the biometric information receiving means matches the biometric information specified by the biometric information specifying means. A biometric authentication execution means for performing biometric authentication, characterized by comprising a.

  According to the present apparatus, even when a failure occurs in the external server itself or when a failure occurs in communication with the external server, the authentication process can be performed.

  Embodiments of a biometric authentication apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, the outline and features of the biometric authentication apparatus according to the present embodiment, the configuration of the biometric authentication apparatus, and the flow of processing will be described in order, and finally various modifications to the present embodiment will be described.

[Outline and features of biometric authentication system]
First, the outline and features of the biometric authentication system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 1-1 and 1-2 are system configuration diagrams illustrating the overall configuration of the biometric authentication system according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the biometric authentication system according to the first embodiment includes an external server that holds biometric information of a user and performs biometric authentication, and a biometric authentication device that requests biometric authentication processing from the external server. Consists of The biometric authentication described in the present embodiment refers to authenticating a user using individual biometric information such as veins, fingerprints, irises, voiceprints, and faces, and the biometric information to be used is limited to this. It is not a thing. In the present embodiment, a case where vein information is used as biometric information will be described as an example.

  The external servers 1 to n shown in FIG. 1 are high-spec devices that can realize high-speed processing, and store biometric information registered by users in advance. Specifically, the external servers 1 to n have a biological information DB that stores in advance “biological information A, biological information B” and the like as biological information registered by the user.

  The biometric authentication device shown in FIG. 1 is a device that requests biometric authentication processing from an external server, and does not have to be high-spec, and is generally used widely such as personal computers and servers. It is a device.

  In such a configuration, the biometric authentication apparatus according to the first embodiment has an outline of authenticating a user using biometric information. In particular, when a failure occurs in the external server itself, The main feature is that authentication processing can be performed even when a failure occurs in the communication.

  This main feature will be specifically described. The biometric authentication device stores biometric information acquired in advance from the user in association with an identifier that uniquely identifies the user. As a specific example, the biometric authentication device has “01, biometrics” as “a“ user ID ”indicating an identifier for uniquely identifying a user, and“ biological information ”indicating biometric information acquired in advance from the user”. It has a biological information DB that stores “information A”, “02, biological information B”, and the like.

  In such a state, the biometric authentication device checks the life / death state indicating whether each of the external servers 1 to n is operating normally at a predetermined interval (see (1) in FIG. 1-1). As a specific example, the biometric authentication device transmits a Ping (Packet Internet Groper) to each of the external servers 1 to n periodically (for example, once an hour), and is alive or dead. Check the status. In addition to the above-described Ping, various methods widely used for network monitoring such as Snmp (Simple Network Management Protocol) can be used as a method for confirming the life / death state of the external server.

  Then, when it is determined that the external servers 1 to n are operating normally, the biometric authentication device accepts biometric information from the user when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance. The biometric information is transmitted to the external servers 1 to n (see (2) to (4) in FIG. 1-1). Specifically, when there is an external server that is determined to be operating normally by the response of Ping (here, it is assumed that other than the external server 1 is normal), the biometric authentication device 2 It is determined to use “1: N authentication method”, which is a method for requesting n to perform biometric authentication processing. With the authentication method determined in this way, when a user who performs biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, the biometric authentication device displays a message such as “Put your palm on” on the display unit such as a monitor or touch panel. To do. Then, when the user places the palm on the user, the biometric authentication device acquires vein information (biological information A) from the palm and transmits it to the external servers 2 to n determined to be operating normally.

  Thereafter, the biometric authentication device receives the biometric authentication result from the external server, and notifies the user of the biometric authentication result based on the received biometric authentication result ((5) to (7) in FIG. 1-1). reference). Specifically, when receiving the biometric information A from the biometric authentication device, the external servers 2 to n determine whether or not the received biometric information A is stored in the biometric information DB. Subsequently, when the received biometric information A is stored in the biometric information DB, the external servers 2 to n transmit an authentication permission to the biometric authentication device, and the received biometric information A is stored in the biometric information DB. If not, an authentication rejection is transmitted to the biometric authentication device. Then, the biometric authentication device displays and outputs the received authentication result on a display unit such as a monitor or a touch panel, and notifies the user of the authentication result.

  On the other hand, in (1) of FIG. 1-1, when it is determined that the external server is not operating normally, the biometric authentication device receives the user's biometric authentication from the user when the user reaches a predetermined distance. The identifier is received, and the biological information corresponding to the received identifier is specified from the biological information DB (see (1) to (4) in FIG. 1-2). Specifically, when the biometric authentication apparatus determines that all external servers are not operating normally by Ping (when a Ping response cannot be received from all external servers), the external servers 1 to It is determined to use the “1: 1 authentication method”, which is a method of performing biometric authentication with its own device without requesting n to perform biometric authentication processing. When the user who performs biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance with the authentication method determined in this manner, the biometric authentication device displays “Please enter the user ID” on the display unit such as a monitor or touch panel. Is output. Then, when the user ID (01) is input, the biometric authentication device specifies biometric information A corresponding to the user ID (01) from the biometric information DB.

  Then, when the biometric information corresponding to the acquired identifier is specified, the biometric authentication device accepts biometric information from the user (see (5) in FIG. 1-2). As a specific example, when biometric information (biometric information A) corresponding to the acquired user ID (01) is specified, the biometric authentication device displays “ Please put your palm on. " The biometric authentication device acquires vein information (biometric information A) from the palm when the user places the palm.

  Subsequently, the biometric authentication device performs biometric authentication to determine whether the received biometric information matches the specified biometric information (see (6) in FIG. 1-2). As a specific example, the biometric authentication device determines whether or not the biometric information A specified by the acquired user ID (01) matches the biometric information A acquired from a monitor, a touch panel, or the like. Perform biometric authentication. Then, the biometric authentication device displays and outputs authentication permission on a display unit such as a monitor or a touch panel when not matching, and notifies the user of the authentication result.

  As described above, in the biometric authentication system according to the first embodiment, the external server performs the biometric authentication process when no failure occurs in the external server, and the biometric authentication when the failure occurs in the external server. As a result of the device's ability to perform biometric authentication processing, it is possible to perform authentication processing even when a failure occurs in the external server itself or in communication with the external server, as described above. It is.

[Configuration of biometric authentication system]
Next, the configuration of the biometric authentication system shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the biometric authentication system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the biometric authentication system includes a biometric authentication device 10 and a plurality of external servers. The plurality of external servers all have the same function.

(Configuration of biometric authentication device 10)
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the biometric authentication device 10 includes a biometric data DB 11, an external server monitoring unit 12, an authentication method determination unit 13, an authentication request transmission unit 14, an authentication result reception unit 15, and a user ID input. The unit 16, the biometric data input unit 17, the biometric data authentication unit 18, and the authentication result output unit 19 are configured.

  The biometric data DB 11 stores biometric information acquired in advance from the user in association with an identifier that uniquely identifies the user. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the biometric data DB 11 includes “a“ user ID ”indicating an identifier for uniquely identifying a user, and“ biometric information indicating biometric information acquired in advance from the user ”. "", "01, biometric information A", "02, biometric information B", etc. are stored. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the biometric data DB 11 of the biometric authentication device.

  The external server monitoring unit 12 confirms the life / death state indicating whether each of the external servers 1 to n is operating normally at a predetermined interval. For example, the external server monitoring unit 12 is connected to an authentication method determination unit 13 and an authentication request transmission unit 14 which will be described later. And the external server monitoring part 12 transmits Ping (Packet Internet Groper) with respect to each of the external servers 1-n regularly (for example, once per hour etc.), and confirms a life-and-death state. . In addition to the above-described Ping, various methods widely used in network monitoring such as Snmp can be used as a method for confirming the life / death state of the external server.

  The authentication method determination unit 13 determines the authentication method based on the life / death state of the external server confirmed by the external server monitoring unit 12. Specifically, the authentication method determination unit 13 is connected to the external server monitoring unit 12, the authentication request transmission unit 14, and the user ID input unit 16. The authentication method determination unit 13 is a method of requesting the external server to perform biometric authentication processing when there is an external server that is determined to be operating normally by the external server monitoring unit 12 according to the Ping response. : N authentication method ”is used, and the authentication request transmission unit 14 is notified of the determination. On the other hand, when the external server monitoring unit 12 determines that all of the external servers are not operating normally by the external server monitoring unit 12 (when a Ping response cannot be received from all of the external servers), the authentication method determination unit 13 It is determined to use the “1: 1 authentication method”, which is a method of performing biometric authentication on its own device without requesting the server to perform biometric authentication processing, and notifies the user ID input unit 16 of the determination.

  When it is determined that the external server is operating normally, the authentication request transmission unit 14 receives the biometric information from the user when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, and receives the received biometric information. To the external server. To give a specific example, when the authentication method determination unit 13 notifies that the “1: N authentication method” has been used, the authentication request transmission unit 14 notifies the biometric data input unit 17 “the palm. Please put it on. " Then, when the user places his / her palm on the biometric data input unit 17, the authentication request transmission unit 14 acquires vein information (biometric information A) from the palm and operates normally by the external server monitoring unit 12. Send to the determined external server.

  The authentication result receiving unit 15 receives a biometric authentication result from an external server. For example, the authentication result receiving unit 15 receives an authentication result biometrically authenticated using the biometric information transmitted by the authentication request transmitting unit 14 from an external server, and the received result is an authentication result output unit. 19 output. Note that the authentication result receiving unit 15 does not need to receive the authentication result from all the external servers to which the biometric information is transmitted, and may receive the authentication result from any one of the external servers.

  When it is determined that the external server is not operating normally, the user ID input unit 16 receives an identifier from the user when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance. As a specific example, the user ID input unit 16 includes a display unit such as a monitor and a touch panel, and is connected to a biometric data authentication unit 18 described later. Then, the user ID input unit 16 is notified by the authentication method determination unit 13 that the “1: 1 authentication method” has been determined to be used, and when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, Please enter the user ID ". Then, the user ID input unit 16 outputs the user ID (01) input by the user to the biometric data authentication unit 18.

  The biometric data input unit 17 receives biometric information from the user. Specifically, the biometric data input unit 17 includes a display unit such as a monitor or a touch panel, and is connected to a biometric data authentication unit 18 and an authentication request transmission unit 14 described later. Then, the biometric data input unit 17 displays and outputs “please put your palm” or the like in accordance with instructions from the biometric data authentication unit 18 and the authentication request transmission unit 14. Then, when the user places the palm on the display unit, the biometric data input unit 17 acquires vein information (biological information A) from the palm, and receives the instructed biometric data authentication unit 18 or authentication request transmission unit 14. Output to.

  The biometric data authentication unit 18 performs biometric authentication processing. As a specific example, the biometric data authentication unit 18 specifies biometric information A corresponding to the user ID (01) notified from the user ID input unit 16 from the biometric data DB 11. When the biometric data authentication unit 18 receives the acquired biometric information from the biometric data input unit 17, the biometric data authentication unit 18 performs biometric authentication to determine whether the received biometric information matches the specified biometric information. In this way, the biometric data authentication unit 18 outputs the obtained authentication result to the authentication result output unit 19.

  The authentication result output unit 19 notifies the user of the authentication result. For example, the authentication result output unit 19 includes a display unit such as a monitor or a touch panel, and the authentication result authenticated by the biometric data authentication unit 18 or the authentication received by the authentication result receiving unit 15 and input. The result is output and displayed on the display unit. Note that the authentication result output unit 19 may not only display the authentication result as an image and notify the user but also output a sound or the like.

(Configuration of external server 20)
As shown in FIG. 2, the external server 20 includes a biometric data DB 21, a survival confirmation communication unit 22, an authentication request receiving unit 23, a biometric data authenticating unit 24, and an authentication result transmitting unit 25.

  The biometric data DB 21 stores biometric information registered by the user in advance. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the biometric data DB 21 stores in advance “biological information A, biometric information B” and the like as biometric information registered by the user. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the biometric data DB 21 of the external server.

  The survival confirmation communication unit 22 responds to the life / death confirmation request from the biometric authentication device 10. Specifically, the survival confirmation communication unit 22 responds to Ping received from the biometric authentication device 10, responds to Snmp, and in addition to the above-described response, The processing load state (for example, CPU usage rate, disk usage rate, memory usage rate, etc.) is transmitted to the biometric authentication device 10.

  The authentication request receiving unit 23 receives biometric information from the biometric authentication device 10. For example, the authentication request receiving unit 23 receives the user's biometric information transmitted from the biometric authentication device 10 and outputs the received biometric information to the biometric data authentication unit 24 described later.

  The biometric data authentication unit 24 performs biometric authentication based on the biometric information received from the authentication request receiving unit 23. Specifically, when the biometric data is input from the authentication request receiving unit 23, the biometric data authenticating unit 24 determines whether the input biometric information is stored in the biometric data DB 21. Perform authentication. Then, when the input biometric information is stored in the biometric data DB 21, the biometric data authentication unit 24 outputs an authentication permission to the authentication result transmission unit 25 described later, and the input biometric information is the biometric data. If not stored in the DB 21, an authentication rejection is output to the authentication result transmission unit 25 described later.

  The authentication result transmission unit 25 transmits the authentication result to the biometric authentication device 10. For example, the authentication result transmission unit 25 receives the authentication result of the performed biometric authentication from the biometric data authentication unit 24. Then, the authentication result transmission unit 25 transmits the received authentication result (authentication permission or authentication rejection) to the biometric authentication device 10.

[Process by biometric authentication system]
Next, processing by the biometric authentication system will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the external server confirmation process in the biometric authentication system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the biometric authentication process in the biometric authentication system according to the first embodiment.

(External server confirmation process flow)
As shown in FIG. 5, the biometric authentication device 10 of the biometric authentication system that has reached the life / death confirmation time of the external server performs a life check using Ping, Snmp, or the like on all external servers connected to the network. (Yes in step S101 and step S102).

  Thereafter, when the biometric authentication device 10 receives a response such as Ping or Snmp executed as a survival confirmation from any external server (Yes in step S103), the biometric authentication is performed using the external server as an authentication mode “1”. : N authentication method "is determined to be used (step S104).

  On the other hand, when a response such as Ping and Snmp executed as the survival confirmation cannot be received from any external server (No at Step S103), the biometric authentication device 10 performs biometric authentication in its own device as an authentication mode. It is decided to use the “1: 1 authentication method” (step S105).

(Biometric authentication process)
As illustrated in FIG. 6, when the biometric authentication device 10 of the biometric authentication system detects a user who has reached a predetermined distance from the own device (Yes in step S201), the authentication mode is “1: N authentication method” or not. Is determined (step S202).

  If the authentication mode is “1: N authentication method” (Yes at step S202), the biometric authentication device 10 receives and acquires biometric information from the user, and transmits the acquired biometric information to an external server (step). S203 and step S204).

  Thereafter, when receiving the authentication result from the external server (Yes at Step S205), the biometric authentication device 10 outputs the authentication result and notifies the user (Step S206).

  On the other hand, when the authentication mode is not “1: N authentication method”, that is, when the authentication mode is “1: 1 authentication method” (No at Step S202), the biometric authentication device 10 receives a user ID from the user. The biometric information corresponding to the received user ID is specified (steps S207 and S208).

  Thereafter, the biometric authentication device 10 receives and acquires biometric information from the user (step S209), and executes biometric authentication processing for determining whether the acquired biometric information matches the specified biometric information (step S209). S210), the authentication result is output and notified to the user (step S206).

[Effects of Example 1]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, the life / death state indicating whether or not each external server is operating normally is confirmed at predetermined intervals, and when it is determined that the external server is operating normally. When the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, the biometric information is received from the user, the received biometric information is transmitted to the external server device, and the biometric authentication result is received from the external server device. On the other hand, when it is determined that the external server is not operating normally and the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, the identifier is received from the user and the biometric information corresponding to the received identifier is specified. In addition, when the biometric information corresponding to the acquired identifier is specified, the biometric information is received from the user, and the received biometric information matches the biometric information specified by the biometric information specifying unit. Biometric authentication is performed to determine whether or not. As a result, even when a failure occurs in the external server itself or when a failure occurs in communication with the external server, the authentication process can be performed.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, since the biometric authentication result is notified to the user based on the performed biometric authentication result or the received biometric authentication result, authentication that is convenient for the user is performed. Is possible.

  By the way, in Example 1, although the case where the external server which responded to Ping etc. was recognized as survival was explained, the present invention is not limited to this, and further calculates the biometric authentication time by the external server, When the calculated biometric authentication time is less than a predetermined threshold, the external server can be recognized as alive.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, the biometric authentication time by the external server is calculated using FIGS. 7 and 8, and the external server is recognized as alive when the calculated biometric authentication time is less than a predetermined threshold. An example will be described. Further, in the second embodiment, in addition to the example of recognizing the external server as alive when the calculated biometric authentication time is less than a predetermined threshold value, when there is no response for a certain period of time after transmitting the authentication request to the external server, An example of re-requesting another external server and an example of requesting the other external server to stop processing when an authentication result is received from the external server will be described together.

(External server confirmation process flow)
First, the flow of the external server confirmation process in the biometric authentication system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the external server confirmation process in the biometric authentication system according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the biometric authentication device 10 of the biometric authentication system that has reached the life / death confirmation time of the external server performs a survival check using Ping, Snmp, or the like on all external servers connected to the network. At the same time, the authentication time by the external server is calculated (Yes at Step S301 to Step S303).

  Specifically, in the external server, a biometric determination process for determining whether the biometric information received from the biometric authentication device is biometric information and a biometric for determining whether the biometric information is stored. Two processes, the authentication process, are executed. The external server only needs to perform the biometric determination process once for the received biometric information, and the biometric authentication process needs to match the stored biometric information with the received biometric information. It is necessary to carry out processing corresponding to the biological information (n pieces).

  Based on this point, the number of stored biometric information is “N (person)”, the number of external servers that are operating normally is “m (unit)”, and the processing time of the biometric discrimination processing on the external server is “X (second)”, the biometric authentication processing time per user “y (second)”, and the number of people performing biometric authentication processing with one external server performing biometric discrimination processing “a (person)” When the number of people who perform biometric authentication processing on one external server that does not perform biometric discrimination processing is “b (person)”, the processing time at each external server is expressed by equation (1), and the total number of users is expressed by equation (1). (2) can be defined.

  “A” and “b” satisfying the defined expression (1) and expression (2) are respectively expression (3) and expression (4). The authentication time “b × y” per server can be calculated as Equation (5).

  Returning to FIG. 7, if the calculated authentication time (formula (5)) by the external server is less than the predetermined threshold value (within the specification range) (Yes in step S304), the biometric authentication device authenticates the biometric to the external server. It is determined that the “1: N authentication method”, which is a method for requesting processing, is used (step S305), and the calculated authentication time (formula (5)) by the external server is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (out of the specification range). In this case (No at Step S304), it is determined to use the “1: 1 authentication method” in which biometric authentication is performed within the own apparatus without requesting an external server for biometric authentication processing (Step S306).

(Flow of biometric authentication process (1: N method))
Next, a flow of biometric authentication processing by an external server in the biometric authentication system according to the second embodiment will be described. That is, here, the case where the biometric authentication apparatus uses the “1: N authentication method” that requests biometric authentication processing from an external server will be described. Here, a case will be described in which an authentication request is transmitted to not only all external servers determined to be normal but one external server determined to be normal. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of biometric authentication processing by an external server in the biometric authentication system according to the second embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 8, when the biometric authentication device of the biometric authentication system detects a user who has reached a predetermined distance from the own device (Yes in step S401), the biometric information is received and acquired from the user, and the acquired biometric is received. Information is transmitted to an external server to request an authentication request (step S402). Specifically, the biometric authentication device transmits an authentication request as shown in FIG. FIG. 9 describes a statement that the external server 1 is requested to perform biometric discrimination processing and biometric authentication processing. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an authentication request request.

  Thereafter, the biometric authentication device transmits an authentication request and determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (step S403). If the authentication request is transmitted and a predetermined time has elapsed, that is, if the authentication result cannot be received even after the predetermined time has elapsed (Yes in step S403), the biometric authentication device is the external server that transmitted the authentication request. The authentication request is retransmitted to a different external server (step S404). Specifically, when the authentication result cannot be received from the external server 1 that transmitted the authentication request, the biometric authentication device retransmits the authentication request to the external server 2 determined to be in the normal state.

  On the other hand, when the authentication request is transmitted and the predetermined time has not elapsed, that is, when the authentication result can be received before the predetermined time has elapsed (No in step S403), the biometric authentication device determines the biometric data discrimination as the received authentication result. It is determined whether or not there is a description that the process (process for determining whether or not the biometric data received by the external server is biometric data indicating biometric information) is NG (step S405).

When the received authentication result includes a description that the biometric data discrimination process is NG (Yes at Step S405), the biometric authentication apparatus transmits an authentication process stop to all the external servers (Step S406), and receives it. The authentication result (authentication rejection) is output (step S407).

  On the other hand, if the biometric data discrimination process is not NG (No at Step S405), the biometric authentication apparatus determines whether or not the received authentication result includes a description that the biometric authentication process is OK (Step S408).

  Then, when the received authentication result indicates that the biometric authentication process is OK (Yes at Step S408), the biometric authentication apparatus stops the authentication process for all the external servers that are the processes of Step S406 and Step S407. Sends and outputs the received authentication result (authentication permission).

  On the other hand, if there is no description that the biometric authentication process is OK in the received authentication result (No at step S408), the biometric authentication apparatus repeats the processes at steps S401 to S405 and step S408 to obtain all external servers. It is determined whether all the responses from NG are NG (step S409).

  And when all the responses from all the external servers obtained by repeating the process of step S401-step S405 and step S408 are NG (step S409 affirmation), a biometrics authentication apparatus is the authentication result received by step S407. (Authentication reject) is output.

  On the other hand, if all the responses from all external servers obtained by repeating the processes in steps S401 to S405 and S408 are not NG (No in step S409), the biometric authentication device returns to step S402 and repeats the above-described processes. .

[Effects of Example 2]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the calculated authentication time is equal to or longer than the predetermined threshold, when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, the identifier is received from the user and received. As a result of identifying the biometric information corresponding to the identifier and performing 1: 1 authentication, it is possible to appropriately determine the processing capability of the external server and adopt an authentication method that takes into account user convenience The convenience of the biometric authentication system as a whole can be improved.

  Further, according to the second embodiment, when an authentication result is not received even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the received biometric information is transmitted to the external server, another external device that is different from the external server that transmitted the biometric information. Since the received biometric information is transmitted to the server, the system can be continued even if the external server fails or the network fails during the authentication process.

  Also, according to the second embodiment, when a biometric authentication result is received from an external server, a request to stop the authentication process is transmitted to another external server, so that priority is given to the authentication process from another biometric authentication device. Is possible.

  By the way, the biometric authentication system according to the present invention can be applied to various systems in which security is regarded as important. Therefore, in the third embodiment, an example in which the present system is applied to an entrance / exit management system will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

[Overall configuration of entry / exit management system]
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an overall configuration of an entrance / exit management system to which the biometric authentication system according to the third embodiment is applied. As shown in FIG. 10, this entrance / exit management system uses a biometric authentication device as an entrance device and an exit device, and unlocks the door so that entry and exit can be performed if biometric authentication is successful. At this time, the user who performed biometric authentication by transmitting the room entry information from the biometric authentication device of the room entry device to the biometric authentication device of the room exit device, and the room exit information from the biometric authentication device of the room exiting device to the biometric authentication device of the room entrance Perform occupancy management.

  Also, the function of each device shown in FIG. 10 will be described. The biometric authentication device 1 and the biometric authentication device 2 perform external server status monitoring, ID input reception (tenkey / card key), biometric information reception, and 1: 1 biometric authentication. The n-type biometric authentication is performed, and the management PC performs processing such as status monitoring of the biometric authentication device and the external server, management of user information, management of biometric data (biometric information) (registration, deletion, correction, etc.).

[Flow of processing by entrance / exit management system]
Next, the flow of processing by the entrance / exit management system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow of the entrance / exit management system to which the biometric authentication system according to the third embodiment is applied.

  Here, the biometric authentication device 2 serving as the exit device calculates the authentication time by the external servers 1 to m and determines that the desired authentication time cannot be obtained, similarly to the method described in the second embodiment. Processing subsequent to determination that one authentication method is used will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the biometric authentication device 2 serving as a leaving device is a user who is currently in the room based on the entering information obtained from the entering device and the leaving information authenticated by the own device that is the leaving device. Is searched (step S501). Then, the biometric authentication device 2 serving as the leaving device determines that the user who needs to be authenticated by the leaving device is only the user who is currently in the room, and only the occupant data (N ′). Then, biometric authentication is performed (step S502).

  Then, the biometric authentication device 2 serving as the exit device unlocks the door (step S504) when there is data to be verified OK (step S503 affirmative), and if there is no data to be verified OK (step S504). Step S503 negative), collation NG is output (step S505).

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, when a network between an external server and an external server breaks down, a biometric authentication device that does not have high-speed processing capability can restrict the biometric information search condition to 1 : System operation by N authentication can be continued.

  Further, for example, when moving from the important document management room shown in FIG. 10 to another room with a high security level, the biometric authentication device 2 may be only a user in the room, as in the case described above. It may be judged and biometric authentication may be performed only on the occupant data, and biometric authentication may be performed on the data of all the stored users if the security is further improved.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms other than the embodiments described above. Therefore, as shown below, (1) biometric authentication processing load distribution, (2) authentication request request, (3) external server operation check, (4) system configuration, and (5) program, respectively. Different embodiments will be described.

(1) Load distribution of biometric authentication processing For example, in the first to third embodiments, the case where biometric authentication is requested to one external server or all external servers has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It can be requested by distributing the load of biometric authentication.

  For example, the biometric authentication apparatus can request authentication by distributing the load so that 20 verification processes (biometric authentication) are performed on one external server. In this way, the load on the external server can be reduced, and as a result, the authentication process can be performed at high speed as a whole.

(2) Authentication Request Request In addition, the biometric authentication device according to the present invention can transmit an acquired biometric information to all external servers that have confirmed normal operation, and can perform an authentication request. It is also possible to select one of the external servers that have been confirmed, and send the acquired biometric information to the selected external server to make an authentication request.

(3) Operation Confirmation of External Server Further, the biometric authentication apparatus according to the present invention uses the processing load state of the external server (e.g. CPU usage rate, disk usage rate, memory usage rate, etc.) can be acquired to determine whether the external server can be processed normally. By doing in this way, the biometric authentication apparatus can acquire the detailed status of the external server, and can request an authentication request from an external server with sufficient processing performance.

(4) System Configuration, etc. Each component of each illustrated device is functionally conceptual and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of distribution / integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or a part thereof may be functionally or physically distributed or arbitrarily distributed in arbitrary units according to various loads or usage conditions. It can be configured by integrating (for example, integrating a user ID input unit and a biometric data input unit). Further, all or any part of each processing function performed in each device may be realized by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or may be realized as hardware by wired logic.

  In addition, among the processes described in the present embodiment, all or a part of the processes described as being automatically performed (for example, acquisition of a user ID or acquisition of biological information) may be manually performed. it can. In addition, the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, and information including various data and parameters (for example, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4) shown in the above documents and drawings are optional unless otherwise specified. Can be changed.

(5) Program By the way, the various processes described in the above embodiments can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance on a computer system such as a personal computer or a workstation. Therefore, hereinafter, a computer system that executes a program having the same function as that of the above embodiment will be described as another embodiment.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer system that executes a biometric authentication program. As shown in FIG. 12, the computer system 100 includes a RAM 101, an HDD 102, a ROM 103, and a CPU 104. Here, the ROM 103 has a program that exhibits the same function as the above-described embodiment, that is, as shown in FIG. 12, an external server confirmation program 103a, a biometric information transmission program 103b, an authentication result reception program 103c, A biometric information identification program 103d, a biometric information reception program 103e, and a biometric authentication execution program 103f are stored in advance.

  Then, the CPU 104 reads out and executes these programs 103a to 103f, thereby, as shown in FIG. 12, an external server confirmation process 104a, a biometric information transmission process 104b, an authentication result reception process 104c, and a biometric information. The identification process 104d, the biometric information reception process 104e, and the biometric authentication execution process 104f are performed. The external server confirmation process 104a corresponds to the external server monitoring unit 12 shown in FIG. 2, and similarly, the biometric information transmission process 104b corresponds to the authentication method determination unit 13 and the authentication request transmission unit 14. The authentication result reception process 104c corresponds to the authentication result reception unit 15, the biometric information identification process 104d corresponds to the user ID input unit 16 and the biometric data authentication unit 18, and the biometric information reception process 104e performs biometric data input. Corresponding to the unit 17, the biometric authentication execution process 104 f corresponds to the biometric data authentication unit 18.

  The HDD 102 is provided with a biometric information table 102a that stores biometric information acquired in advance from the user in association with an identifier that uniquely identifies the user. The biometric information table 102a corresponds to the biometric data DB 11 shown in FIG.

  By the way, the above-mentioned programs 103a to 103f are not necessarily stored in the ROM 103. For example, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-ROM, an MO disk, a DVD disk, a magneto-optical disk inserted into the computer system 100, In addition to “portable physical media” such as IC cards, “fixed physical media” such as hard disk drives (HDDs) provided inside and outside the computer system 100, public lines, the Internet, LAN, WAN, etc. The program may be stored in “another computer system” connected to the computer system 100 via the computer system 100 so that the computer system 100 reads and executes the program.

  The following appendices are further disclosed with respect to the embodiments including the above Examples 1 to 4.

(Supplementary Note 1) A biometric authentication device that requests biometric authentication processing to the external server device that can be connected to an external server device that performs biometric authentication while retaining biometric information of a user,
Biometric information storage means for storing biometric information acquired in advance from the user in association with an identifier for uniquely identifying the user;
External server confirmation means for confirming a life / death state indicating whether or not each of the external server devices is operating normally at a predetermined interval;
When it is determined by the external server confirmation means that the external server is operating normally, when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, the biometric information is received from the user and the received biometric is received. Biometric information transmitting means for transmitting information to an external server device;
Authentication result receiving means for receiving the biometric authentication result from the external server device by transmitting the biometric information of the user to the external server device by the biometric information transmitting means;
When it is determined by the external server confirmation means that the external server is not operating normally, when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, an identifier is received from the user, and the received identifier is Biological information specifying means for specifying corresponding biological information from the biological information storage means;
Biometric information receiving means for receiving biometric information from the user when biometric information corresponding to the identifier acquired by the biometric information specifying means is specified;
Biometric authentication performing means for performing biometric authentication for determining whether or not the biometric information received by the biometric information receiving means matches the biometric information specified by the biometric information specifying means;
A biometric authentication device comprising:

(Additional remark 2) The authentication notification means which notifies the said biometric authentication result to the said user based on the biometric authentication result implemented by the said biometrics authentication implementation means or the biometric authentication result received by the said authentication result receiving means is further provided. The biometric authentication device according to appendix 1, wherein

(Additional remark 3) The said external server confirmation means further calculates the authentication time by the said external server,
The biometric information specifying means accepts an identifier from the user when the user performing the biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance when the authentication time calculated by the external server confirmation means is a predetermined threshold or more. The biometric authentication device according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein biometric information corresponding to the received identifier is specified from the biometric information storage unit.

(Supplementary Note 4) When the user who performs the biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, the biometric information transmission unit receives biometric information from the user, and performs biometric authentication processing using the received biometric information. The biometric authentication device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, wherein a load is distributed to a plurality of external server devices determined to be operating normally by the server confirmation unit.

(Supplementary Note 5) If the authentication result receiving unit does not receive an authentication result even after a predetermined time has elapsed after transmitting the received biometric information to an external server device, the biometric information transmitting unit The biometric authentication device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, wherein the received biometric information is transmitted to another external server device that is different from the external server device that transmitted the message.

(Additional remark 6) The said authentication result receiving means transmits the stop request | requirement of an authentication process with respect to another external server apparatus, when the biometric authentication result is received from the said external server apparatus. The biometric authentication device according to any one of the above.

(Supplementary Note 7) A biometric authentication system including an external server device that performs biometric authentication while retaining biometric information of a user, and a biometric authentication device that requests biometric authentication processing from the external server device. And
The biometric authentication device is:
Biometric information storage means for storing biometric information acquired in advance from the user in association with an identifier for uniquely identifying the user;
External server confirmation means for confirming a life / death state indicating whether or not each of the external server devices is operating normally at a predetermined interval;
When it is determined by the external server confirmation means that the external server is operating normally, when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, the biometric information is received from the user and the received biometric is received. Biometric information transmitting means for transmitting information to an external server device;
Authentication result receiving means for receiving the biometric authentication result from the external server device by transmitting the biometric information of the user to the external server device by the biometric information transmitting means;
When it is determined by the external server confirmation means that the external server is not operating normally, when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, an identifier is received from the user, and the received identifier is Biological information specifying means for specifying corresponding biological information from the biological information storage means;
Biometric information receiving means for receiving biometric information from the user when biometric information corresponding to the identifier acquired by the biometric information specifying means is specified;
Biometric authentication performing means for performing biometric authentication to determine whether the biometric information received by the biometric information receiving means matches the biometric information specified by the biometric information specifying means;
The external server device is
Biological information storage means for storing biological information acquired in advance from the user;
Biometric authentication processing means for receiving biometric information transmitted from the biometric authentication device and determining whether the received biometric information is stored in the biometric information storage means;
When the biometric information received by the biometric authentication processing means is stored in the biometric information storage means, authentication permission is transmitted as an authentication result to the biometric authentication device, and the biometric information received by the biometric authentication processing means is An authentication result transmitting means for transmitting an authentication refusal as an authentication result to the biometric authentication device when not stored in the biometric information storage means;
A biometric authentication system comprising:

(Supplementary Note 8) A biometric authentication method suitable for a biometric authentication device that requests biometric authentication processing from the external server device that can be connected to an external server device that performs biometric authentication while retaining biometric information of a user. ,
Biometric information storage means for storing biometric information acquired in advance from the user in association with an identifier for uniquely identifying the user;
An external server confirmation step for confirming at a predetermined interval a life / death state indicating whether or not each of the external server devices is operating normally;
When it is determined that the external server is operating normally by the external server confirmation step, when the user performing the biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, the biometric information is received from the user, and the received biometric is received. A biological information transmission step of transmitting information to an external server device;
An authentication result receiving step in which the biometric information of the user is transmitted to the external server device by the biometric information transmitting step, and a biometric authentication result is received from the external server device;
When it is determined by the external server confirmation step that the external server is not operating normally, when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, an identifier is received from the user, and the received identifier is A biological information specifying step of specifying corresponding biological information from the biological information storage means;
A biometric information receiving step of receiving biometric information from the user when biometric information corresponding to the identifier acquired by the biometric information specifying step is specified;
A biometric authentication performing step of performing biometric authentication for determining whether or not the biometric information received by the biometric information receiving step matches the biometric information specified by the biometric information specifying step;
A biometric authentication method comprising:

(Supplementary Note 9) A biometric authentication program that causes a computer to function as the biometric authentication device that can be connected to an external server device that holds biometric information of a user and performs biometric authentication.
Biometric information storage means for storing biometric information acquired in advance from the user in association with an identifier for uniquely identifying the user;
An external server confirmation procedure for confirming at a predetermined interval a life or death state indicating whether or not each of the external server devices is operating normally;
When it is determined that the external server is operating normally by the external server confirmation procedure, when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, the biometric information is received from the user and the received biometric is received. A biometric information transmission procedure for transmitting information to an external server device;
An authentication result reception procedure in which the biometric information of the user is transmitted to the external server device by the biometric information transmission procedure, and a biometric authentication result is received from the external server device;
When it is determined by the external server confirmation procedure that the external server is not operating normally, when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, an identifier is received from the user, and the received identifier is Biometric information identification procedure for identifying corresponding biometric information from the biometric information storage means;
A biometric information receiving procedure for receiving biometric information from the user when biometric information corresponding to the identifier acquired by the biometric information specifying procedure is specified;
A biometric authentication performing procedure for performing biometric authentication to determine whether the biometric information received by the biometric information receiving procedure matches the biometric information specified by the biometric information specifying procedure;
A biometric authentication program characterized by being made to function.

1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a biometric authentication system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a biometric authentication system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a biometric authentication system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the information memorize | stored in biometric data DB11 of a biometrics authentication apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the information memorize | stored in biometric data DB21 of an external server. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of external server confirmation processing in the biometric authentication system according to the first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of biometric authentication processing in the biometric authentication system according to the first embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of external server confirmation processing in the biometric authentication system according to the second embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of biometric authentication processing by an external server in the biometric authentication system according to the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of an authentication request request. It is a figure for demonstrating the whole structure of the entrance / exit management system to which the biometrics system which concerns on Example 3 is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the entrance / exit management system to which the biometrics system which concerns on Example 3 is applied. It is a figure which shows the example of the computer system which performs a biometrics authentication program.

Explanation of symbols

10 Biometric Authentication Device 11 Biometric Data DB
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 External server monitoring part 13 Authentication method determination part 14 Authentication request transmission part 15 Authentication result receiving part 16 User ID input part 17 Biometric data input part 18 Biometric data authentication part 19 Authentication result output part 20 External server 21 Biometric data DB
22 Survival Confirmation Communication Unit 23 Authentication Request Receiving Unit 24 Biometric Data Authentication Unit 25 Authentication Result Transmitting Unit 100 Computer System 101 RAM
102 HDD
102a Biological information table 103 ROM
103a External server confirmation program 103b Biometric information transmission program 103c Authentication result reception program 103d Biometric information identification program 103e Biometric information reception program 103f Biometric authentication execution program 104 CPU
104a External server confirmation process 104b Biometric information transmission process 104c Authentication result reception process 104d Biometric information identification process 104e Biometric information reception process 104f Biometric authentication execution process

Claims (6)

A biometric authentication apparatus for requesting the biometric authentication process for holding each biometric information of a plurality of users to a plurality of external server implementing the biometric authentication,
Biometric information storage means for storing biometric information acquired in advance from the user in association with an identifier for uniquely identifying the user;
And an external server confirmation means for confirming death state at predetermined intervals indicating whether each external server is operating normally,
When it is determined by the external server confirmation means that the external server device is operating normally , the biometric information that matches the biometric information that is received from the user and the biometric information that is received from the user collating the information 1: when N determines that the authentication format, the external server device is determined not to be normally operated by the external server confirmation means, the format to perform the biometric authentication, from the user Determining means for determining a combination of the identifier and biometric information to be accepted as a 1: 1 authentication format for searching from information stored in the biometric information storage means ;
When the determination unit determines the 1: N authentication format and the user performing the biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, the biometric information is received from the user, and the received biometric information is converted to the external information. Biometric information transmission means for transmitting to a plurality of external server devices confirmed to be operating normally by the server confirmation means ;
Authentication result receiving means for receiving the biometric authentication result from one of the external server devices, wherein the biometric information of the user is transmitted to each external server device by the biometric information transmitting means;
When the 1: 1 authentication format is determined by the determining means, when a user performing the biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, an identifier is received from the user, and biometric information corresponding to the received identifier is obtained. Biological information specifying means specified from the biological information storage means;
Biometric information receiving means for receiving biometric information from the user when biometric information corresponding to the identifier acquired by the biometric information specifying means is specified;
Biometric authentication performing means for performing biometric authentication for determining whether or not the biometric information received by the biometric information receiving means matches the biometric information specified by the biometric information specifying means;
A biometric authentication device comprising: The external server confirmation means further calculates an authentication time by the external server device,
The biometric information specifying means accepts an identifier from the user when the user performing the biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance when the authentication time calculated by the external server confirmation means is a predetermined threshold or more. The biometric authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein biometric information corresponding to the received identifier is specified from the biometric information storage unit.   The biometric information transmission means receives biometric information from the user when the user performing biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, and performs biometric authentication processing using the accepted biometric information by the external server confirmation means. The biometric authentication device according to claim 1, wherein a load is distributed to a plurality of external server devices determined to be operating normally and requests are made.   The biometric information transmitting means transmits the biometric information when the authentication result receiving means does not receive an authentication result even after a predetermined time has elapsed after transmitting the accepted biometric information to the external server device. The biometric authentication device according to claim 1, wherein the received biometric information is transmitted to another external server device different from the server device.   5. The authentication result receiving unit, when receiving a biometric authentication result from the external server device, transmits an authentication processing stop request to another external server device. The biometric authentication device described in 1. The computer, a biometric authentication program to function as a biometric authentication device connectable to a plurality of external server device holds the biometric information of a plurality of users performing the biometric authentication,
The computer,
An external server confirmation procedure for confirming at a predetermined interval a life or death state indicating whether or not the external server device is operating normally;
When it is determined by the external server confirmation procedure that the external server device is operating normally , the biometric information that matches the biometric information received from the user and the biometric information that is received from the user When the external server device determines that the external server device is not operating normally by determining the 1: N authentication format to collate with the information, the format for executing the biometric authentication is determined from the user. A determination procedure for determining a 1: 1 authentication format for searching for a combination of an identifier and biometric information to be received;
When the determination procedure determines the 1: N authentication format, when the user performing the biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, the biometric information is received from the user, and the received biometric information is converted into the external information. A biometric information transmission procedure for transmitting to a plurality of external server devices confirmed to be operating normally by the server confirmation procedure ;
An authentication result receiving procedure in which the biometric information of the user is transmitted to the external server device by the biometric information transmitting procedure, and a biometric authentication result is received from the external server device;
When the 1: 1 authentication format is determined by the determination procedure, when a user performing the biometric authentication reaches a predetermined distance, an identifier for uniquely identifying the user is received from the user, A biometric information specifying procedure for specifying biometric information corresponding to the received identifier from biometric information storage means for storing biometric information of the user in association with an identifier;
A biometric information receiving procedure for receiving biometric information from the user when biometric information corresponding to the identifier acquired by the biometric information specifying procedure is specified;
A biometric authentication performing procedure for performing biometric authentication to determine whether the biometric information received by the biometric information receiving procedure matches the biometric information specified by the biometric information specifying procedure;
A biometric authentication program characterized by being made to function.

Images