JP5699019B2 - Authentication apparatus, authentication method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an authentication technique by moving an indicator such as a finger.

  In a display device including a touch screen (also referred to as a touch panel), a technique for releasing some restriction (screen lock or the like) by drawing a predetermined pattern with a finger on the display surface is known (for example, Non-Patent Document 1). reference). Such a pattern can be set for each user.

“Mobile Phone (T-01C Instruction Manual Location Information and Security)”, [online], [Search on March 22, 2011], Internet <URL: http://www.fmworld.net/product/phone/ sp / t-01c / manual / category04 / 006.html>

However, when the display surface is traced with a finger, the sebum and dirt of the finger may adhere to the display surface. If such a deposit remains on the display surface, there is a possibility that a pattern for releasing the restriction may be guessed by another person.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to make it difficult for a person to guess the pattern afterwards in an authentication method for inputting a predetermined pattern on a display surface.

  An authentication apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a detection unit that continuously detects a position of a pointer that moves close to a display surface, and a moving direction of the pointer based on the position detected by the detection unit. A calculating unit that calculates the position, a specifying unit that specifies the position where the amount of change in the moving direction calculated by the calculating unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and a position specified by the specifying unit are close to the display surface When the position is not included in any of the plurality of recognition areas defined by the predetermined arrangement, the distance between the position and the recognition area closest to the position among the plurality of recognition areas is shortened. A correction unit that corrects at least one of the position and the size of the recognition area; and the detection unit detects whether the indicator has passed through the plurality of recognition areas in a predetermined order. Based on position A determination unit configured to reflect the correction by the correction unit when the position specified by the specification unit is not included in any of the plurality of recognition areas. Have.

In a preferred aspect, the correction unit moves the position specified by the specifying unit and the other position.
In another preferable aspect, the specifying unit specifies a first position and a second position as positions where the amount of change is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and the correction unit sets the first position to the first position. When the second position is moved by the correction amount and the second position is moved by the second correction amount, and the third position is detected by the detection unit between the first position and the second position. The third position is moved by a correction amount between the first correction amount and the second correction amount.
In another preferable aspect, the correction unit determines a position specified by the specifying unit and another position when the number of the recognition areas that the indicator has passed by the determination unit is less than a predetermined number. When the determination unit determines that the number of the recognition areas that the indicator has passed is less than a predetermined number, the determination unit performs the determination reflecting the correction by the correction unit again.
In still another preferred aspect, the calculation unit calculates a movement direction and a movement speed of the indicator based on the position detected by the detection unit, and the correction unit calculates the movement speed calculated by the calculation unit. The larger the value, the larger the correction amount.
In still another preferred aspect, the correction unit increases the correction amount as the position has a larger change amount.
In still another preferred embodiment, the detection unit includes a non-contact position that is a position when the indicator is close to the display surface, and a contact position that is a position when the indicator is in contact with the display surface. detects, the determination unit may have rows determination comprising said contact position and said non-contact position in the recognition area, the correction unit, the non-contact position with an object of correction, of correcting the contact position Not targeted.
In still another preferred aspect, the specifying unit varies the threshold according to the arrangement of the plurality of recognition areas.

An authentication method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a first step in which the authentication device continuously detects the position of the indicator that moves close to the display surface, and the position detected in the first step. A second step of calculating the moving direction of the indicator based on the second step, and a third step of specifying the position where the amount of change in the moving direction calculated in the second step is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value; When the position specified in the third step is close to the display surface and is not included in any of the plurality of recognition areas defined by a predetermined arrangement, the position and the plurality of recognition areas A fourth step of correcting at least one of the position and the size of the recognition area so that a distance from the recognition area closest to the position is shortened; and the indicator determines the plurality of recognition areas. Determining whether or not they have passed in the determined order based on the position detected in the first step, wherein the position specified in the third step is one of the plurality of recognition areas. Is included, the fifth step of performing the determination by reflecting the correction of the fourth step is executed .

  A program according to another aspect of the present invention is based on a first step of continuously detecting a position of an indicator that moves close to a display surface on a computer, and a position detected in the first step. A second step of calculating the moving direction of the indicator, a third step of identifying the position where the amount of change in the moving direction calculated in the second step is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, If the position specified in step 3 is close to the display surface and is not included in any of the plurality of recognition areas defined by a predetermined arrangement, the position and the plurality of recognition areas A fourth step of correcting at least one of the position and the size of the recognition area so that the distance to the recognition area closest to the position is shortened; and A) determining whether or not the vehicle has passed in a predetermined order based on the position detected in the first step, wherein the position identified in the third step is the plurality of recognition areas. And the fifth step of performing the determination by reflecting the correction of the fourth step.

  According to the present invention, in an authentication method in which a predetermined pattern is input to the display surface, it is possible to make it difficult for someone else to guess the pattern afterwards.

Block diagram showing the configuration of a display device The figure which illustrates the image (target image) displayed on a display part Functional block diagram showing a functional configuration related to user authentication of the control unit A diagram for explaining the amount of change in the moving direction Flow chart showing authentication process Illustration for explaining the area Flow chart showing correction processing Flow chart showing determination processing Schematic diagram illustrating the correction result by the correction process Schematic diagram illustrating the correction result by the correction process The figure which shows the modification of arrangement | positioning of a recognition area The figure which illustrates the aspect of amendment which amends the size of a recognition area

[Summary of the Invention]
The first feature of the present invention is that a predetermined pattern is input using a configuration capable of detecting a state in which the indicator is close to the display surface without being in contact therewith. More specifically, according to the present invention, a plurality of “recognition areas” are arranged in a predetermined arrangement at positions separated from the display surface, and the pattern is determined depending on whether or not the indicator has passed through the recognition areas in a predetermined order. Judgment is performed. By adopting such a configuration, the present invention makes it possible to input a pattern without leaving a trace of the indicator on the display surface. Here, the indicator refers to a body part or instrument for the user to give instructions, for example, the user's finger or stylus.

  However, such a non-contact recognition area does not exist so as to be visible to the user, but is so-called virtual. Therefore, the user must operate the indicator so as to pass through a recognition area that does not exist, and it can be said that it is difficult to notice an operation mistake. Therefore, the present invention corrects at least one of the position detected as the position of the indicator and the size of the recognition area when the specific feature is satisfied when the configuration of the first feature described above is provided. Is the second feature. Here, the specific condition is a condition that increases the possibility that the actual position of the indicator is different from the intention of the user. For example, the specific condition is a case where the moving direction of the indicator changes greatly.

  Generally, when the moving direction of the indicator changes greatly, the user's operation is recognized to have a tendency to move the indicator along a trajectory different from the trajectory intended by the user. For example, even if the user intends to draw a trajectory that bends at a right angle, the user may actually have a rounded trajectory and may not pass through the required recognition area correctly. Moreover, such a tendency is more conspicuous as the operation speed of the user increases. In the present invention, when such a sudden change in the moving direction is detected, by correcting the locus of the indicator or the size of the recognition area, the position does not pass through the recognition area. It is dealt with so that it is less likely to be mistakenly recognized.

  In the present invention, a plurality of recognition areas can be combined with a contact recognition area and a non-contact recognition area. In view of the purpose of making it difficult to infer from the traces on the display surface of the pattern input by the user, the pattern to be input by the user in the present invention should include at least one non-contact recognition area. It is enough. It can be said that the recognition area on the display surface (that is, the recognition area where the user actually contacts) is less likely to cause an operation error than the non-contact recognition area. Therefore, combining the recognition area on the display surface with the non-contact recognition area makes it possible to make operation errors less likely to occur while hiding the pattern entered by the user compared to using only the non-contact recognition area. It is.

[Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a display device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The display device 10 is an electronic device having a display area in which a touch screen is overlaid, and includes a configuration corresponding to the authentication device of the present invention. The display device 10 is, for example, a so-called smartphone or tablet PC (Personal Computer). Here, the display device 10 is assumed to be operated by a user with a finger. That is, the indicator in this embodiment is a user's own finger.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the display device 10 includes at least a control unit 100, a storage unit 200, a communication unit 300, and a touch screen unit 400. In addition to these components, the display device 10 may include a so-called physical key (a key that exists as hardware in the display device 10 instead of a key realized in software on the touch screen unit 400). . The display device 10 may also include means (speakers, microphones) and vibrators for inputting and outputting audio, and an acceleration sensor for detecting the tilt of the display area.

  The control unit 100 is means for controlling the overall operation of the display device 10. The control unit 100 includes an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory corresponding to a main storage device, and realizes a predetermined function by executing a program. The control unit 100 controls information exchange between components described later, and executes user authentication described later.

  The storage unit 200 is a means for storing information. The storage unit 200 includes a storage unit corresponding to an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk or a flash memory, and stores data and application programs used by the control unit 100 for control. The storage unit 200 may include a removable medium, that is, a removable storage unit, and identifies a user (or display device 10) such as a UIM (User Identity Module) card or a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card. It is also possible to include a storage means in which the data is recorded. The storage unit 200 stores an authentication pattern unique to each user used for user authentication.

  The communication unit 300 is a means for communicating with an external device. In this embodiment, the communication unit 300 is a unit for connecting to a network such as a mobile communication network, but is a unit that directly communicates with an external device without going through a network such as NFC (Near Field Communication). There may be. Note that the communication unit 300 is not an essential component in the present invention.

  The touch screen unit 400 is a unit that displays an image and receives a user operation. The touch screen unit 400 includes a display unit 410 and a sensor unit 420 in more detail. The display unit 410 includes a display panel that displays an image using a liquid crystal element or an organic EL (electroluminescence) element, a drive circuit that drives the display panel, and the like. The sensor unit 420 includes a sensor that is provided so as to overlap the display surface of the display unit 410 (surface that displays an image), and supplies coordinate information that represents the position instructed by the user to the control unit 100. The sensor of the sensor unit 420 is, for example, a capacitive sensor that senses a finger using electrostatic coupling with the finger.

  The sensor unit 420 outputs coordinate information that can distinguish between a state in which the indicator is in contact with the display surface and a state in which the indicator is in close proximity without contacting the display surface. These states can be distinguished by the difference in capacitance if the capacitance method is used. The “proximity” here is generally about 1 cm although it depends on the performance of the sensor. Here, the coordinate information is described in a two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system with an appropriate position on the display surface as the origin.

  The configuration of the display device 10 is as described above. Under this configuration, the display device 10 displays an image on the display surface by executing an application program, and executes various processes. For example, the display device 10 performs a voice call or data communication via the communication unit 300, or reproduces image data or music data stored in the storage unit 200. In addition, when the user's operation is not received for a predetermined time or longer, the display device 10 may hide the display unit 410 and switch from a normal mode to a mode that suppresses power consumption.

  In addition, the display device 10 performs user authentication before executing predetermined processing. The predetermined processing here, that is, processing that requires user authentication in advance may be any processing, for example, processing for accessing the user's private data (address book, etc.), power consumption, etc. This is a process of switching from the suppression mode to the normal mode.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an image displayed on the display unit 410 during user authentication. The display device 10 causes the display unit 410 to display an image for use as a guide for pattern input. Assume that nine recognition areas in the present embodiment are arranged in a square lattice pattern, with three recognition areas at regular intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions. Here, it is assumed that the recognition area is only a non-contact area here. That is, the dotted images I1 to I9 (hereinafter referred to as “target images”) displayed on the display unit 410 indicate the targets of the recognition area, and do not indicate the recognition areas themselves. The actual recognition area is at a position separated by about 1 cm in a direction perpendicular to the display surface when viewed from the point-like images I1 to I9. Note that the shape of the recognition area is, for example, a circle, but is not necessarily a circle.

  A pattern input by the user (hereinafter referred to as “input pattern”) indicates a trajectory that traces a part or all of these nine recognition areas in a predetermined order. However, from the viewpoint of safety, it is desirable that a lower limit value (for example, 4) is set in the recognition area necessary for pattern input. Further, the input pattern may be a trajectory that includes the same recognition area twice or more times, such as a figure in which the start point and the end point are at the same position.

  In the following, it is assumed that the pattern to be input by the user is a locus such as an uppercase N mirror letter of the alphabet, and this is stored in the storage unit 200 as an authentication pattern. That is, the authentication pattern of the present embodiment is a trajectory in which the indicator is moved in the order of I 1 → I 4 → I 7 → I 5 → I 3 → I 6 → I 9 as indicated by a broken line in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a functional configuration related to user authentication of the control unit 100. The control unit 100 implements functions corresponding to the units of the detection unit 110, the calculation unit 120, the specifying unit 130, the correction unit 140, and the determination unit 150 by executing a program for user authentication. Note that these functions may be realized at the OS (Operating System) level, or may be realized by cooperation of the OS and application software.

  The detection unit 110 is means for repeatedly detecting the position of the indicator. The detection unit 110 continuously detects the position of the indicator based on the coordinate information output from the sensor unit 420. The detection unit 110 detects a position at a predetermined sampling period. Therefore, “continuous” here refers to the frequency determined according to the sampling period of the detection unit 110.

  The coordinate information is information indicating the coordinates of the display surface and the intensity of the output value at the coordinates. The detection unit 110 detects the position of the indicator and whether the instruction by the indicator is contact or non-contact using these pieces of information. In the following, when it is necessary to distinguish these positions detected by the detection unit 110, the position designated by the user by bringing the indicator into contact with the display surface is referred to as a “contact position”, and the user designates the position. A position instructed by bringing a body close to (without touching) the display surface is referred to as a “non-contact position”. However, the user authentication using the contact position is not described in the present embodiment, and will be referred to in a modified example described later. That is, what is described in the present embodiment is user authentication using only a non-contact position.

  The calculation unit 120 is a unit that calculates the moving direction of the indicator based on the position detected by the detection unit 110. Specifically, the calculation unit 120 calculates the moving direction of the indicator by comparing two (or more) positions detected by the detection unit 110. The position used by the calculation unit 120 to calculate the moving direction is a position continuously detected by the detection unit 110 (that is, a certain position and a position detected immediately before the position), as will be described later. Need not be.

  The identification unit 130 is a unit that identifies a position where the amount of change in the movement direction calculated by the calculation unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold among the positions detected by the detection unit 110. The specifying unit 130 compares the movement direction calculated for a certain position with the movement direction calculated for the position detected immediately before the position, and specifies one or more positions where the difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. . Hereinafter, the position specified by the specifying unit 130 is referred to as a “change point”. In short, the change point is a position where the moving direction of the indicator detected by the detection unit 110 changes more rapidly than the other.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the amount of change in the movement direction. Here, it is assumed that the detection unit 110 detects the points P1, P2, and P3 in order, the movement direction of the point P2 viewed from the point P1 is D1, and the movement direction of the point P3 viewed from the point P2 is D2. In this case, the amount of change in the movement direction when moving from the point P2 to the point P3 is represented by an angle θ. The angle θ corresponds to an angle formed by these vectors when D1 and D2 are regarded as vectors. Therefore, for example, if the indicator moves linearly, the amount of change in the moving direction is 0 °.

  The change threshold is an appropriate value set in advance. This threshold is preferably determined according to the arrangement of the recognition areas. For example, when the recognition area has the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 2, the change amount threshold is approximately 40 ° to 45 °. This is because in the case of the arrangement shown in FIG. 2, the minimum value of the amount of change in the moving direction of a line (folded line) that is formed by connecting three different recognition areas but is not a straight line is “45 °”. An example of a locus with a change amount of 45 ° is a broken line when the target images I1, I5, and I6 are connected in this order. In order to set such a broken line as a correction target, the threshold needs to be 45 ° or less. On the other hand, it can be said that it is more preferable to exclude the case where an operation error is unlikely to occur originally, such as when the user moves the indicator in a straight line.

  In addition, the broken line (refer FIG. 4) which connected the position detected by the detection part 110 is not necessarily the same as the actual locus | trajectory of a pointer. For example, the longer the sampling period in the detection unit 110, the greater the deviation between such a broken line and the actual locus of the indicator. However, in this specification, for convenience of explanation, a broken line formed by connecting the positions detected by the detection unit 110 as shown in FIG. 4 may be regarded as the locus of the indicator.

  The correction unit 140 is a unit that corrects at least one of the position detected by the detection unit 110 and the size of the recognition area when the change point is not included in any of the plurality of recognition areas. Specifically, when the change point is not included in any of the plurality of recognition areas, the correction unit 140 shortens the distance between the change point and the recognition area closest to the change point among the plurality of recognition areas. Thus, the change point is brought close to the recognition area, or the size of the recognition area is increased. Note that the correction unit 140 can move not only the position corresponding to the change point but also other positions detected by the detection unit 110.

  The determination unit 150 is a unit that determines whether or not the input pattern corresponds to an authentication pattern (that is, an input pattern stored in the storage unit 200). In other words, the determination unit 150 is a unit that determines whether or not the indicator has passed through a plurality of recognition areas in a predetermined order. The determination unit 150 performs this determination based on the position detected by the detection unit 110. In addition, when the correction by the correction unit 140 is performed, the determination unit 150 performs the determination after reflecting the correction result. Therefore, the determination unit 150 makes different determination modes depending on whether the change point is specified or not.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the authentication process according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the concept of “zone” used in this authentication process. Here, the section refers to a partitioned area defined in the vicinity of the recognition area, and here, it is assumed that it is a square area indicated by a broken line.

  In the authentication process shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 100 of the display device 10 first determines whether or not the position of the indicator is detected (step SA1). When the position of the indicator is detected, the control unit 100 recognizes that the user is inputting a pattern. Hereinafter, the mode recognized by the control unit 100 is referred to as an “in-operation mode”. The state that is not in the operating mode is a state before the user inputs the pattern and a state after the user inputs the pattern.

  Further, when the position of the indicator is not detected in step SA1, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the operation mode is set (step SA9). At this time, being in the operating mode means that the user has finished inputting the pattern. In this case, the control unit 100 executes a determination process that will be described later (step SA10). On the other hand, the fact that it is not the operation mode at this time means that the user has not yet input the pattern. In this case, the control unit 100 repeats the processes after Step SA1 and waits for the position of the indicator to be detected.

  When the position of the indicator is detected in the operating mode, the control unit 100 records the position newly detected in step SA1 in the memory as the locus of the input pattern (step SA3). Next, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the newly detected position is included in any recognition area (step SA4). When the position detected in step SA1 is included in the recognition area, the control unit 100 specifies the passing order of the recognition area by the indicator (step SA5), and calculates the moving direction when the indicator passes the recognition area. (Step SA6). The passing order is a numerical value indicating what number the recognition area through which the indicator has passed has been changed to the operating mode. Further, here, the moving direction is a direction calculated based on the latest position detected in step SA1 and the position detected before that position, and the direction from the latter to the former position. It is a direction. Here, the position detected before the latest position may be a position detected immediately before the latest position, or may be a position corresponding to the start point in the area, It may be a position that overlaps with the recognition area that has passed immediately before in the locus of the indicator.

  When the position newly detected in step SA1 is not included in the recognition area, control unit 100 determines whether or not a locus for one zone has been detected (step SA7). Specifically, this determination is made by detecting whether or not a trajectory has occurred in a certain area and the trajectory has gone out of the area. If the locus for one area is detected, the control unit 100 executes the correction process (step SA8), and if not, repeats the processes after step SA1. In addition, the control unit 100 repeats the processes after step SA1 even when the passing order and the moving direction of the pointer are obtained.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the correction process in step SA8. In this correction processing, the control unit 100 specifies a position where the amount of change in the movement direction is maximum in the area from among a plurality of positions detected in the area (step SB1). Hereinafter, this position is also referred to as “point C”. Note that the point C specified in step SB1 is the above-described change point candidate, and not all of them are equivalent to the change point.

  Next, the control unit 100 specifies the start point and end point of the trajectory in the area (step SB2). The start and end points are typically at the boundaries of the area. However, in an area corresponding to the start point or end point of the input pattern itself, the start point or end point of the input pattern becomes the start point or end point of the area. Hereinafter, the start point and the end point specified in step SB2 are also referred to as “point A” and “point B”, respectively.

  When the points A, B, and C are specified, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the angle formed by the line segment AC and the line segment AB, that is, ∠ACB is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (Th) (step SB3). . The point C corresponds to a change point if ∠ACB ≧ Th is satisfied, and does not correspond to a change point otherwise. If the point C does not correspond to the changing point, the control unit 100 determines that an offset value (correction amount) to be described later is not calculated for the position indicated by the point C, and does not execute the processes after step SB4. The correction process for the area ends.

  When the point C corresponds to the changing point, the control unit 100 specifies the position of the recognition area closest to the position indicated by the point C (that is, the recognition area in the area corresponding to the area) (step SB4). Hereinafter, the position specified in step SB4 is also referred to as “point D”. The point D is a representative position in the recognition area, and here, it is assumed that it is the center point of the recognition area. Next, the control unit 100 calculates the distance between the point C and the point D, and sets this as the distance between the position indicated by the point C and the nearest recognition area (step SB5).

  Next, the control unit 100 determines a position correction application target, that is, an offset value application target (step SB6). In the present embodiment, in addition to the first correction mode for correcting only the position corresponding to the change point among the positions detected by the control unit 100, the correction according to the correction amount of the change point is performed in addition to the correction of the change point. There is a second correction mode that is also applied to the position of. Which of these correction modes is applied is set in advance in the display device 10 or set by the user. The control unit 100 determines an application target of the offset value according to such a setting in advance.

  In the case of the first correction mode, the control unit 100 corrects only the position of the change point (step SB7). In this embodiment, the correction amount (that is, the offset value) at this time is equal to the distance between the point C and the point D. That is, the control unit 100 executes correction for moving the position detected as the point C to a position in the recognition area indicated by the point D. Note that the offset value is not a scalar quantity but a vector quantity.

  On the other hand, in the case of the second correction mode, the control unit 100 determines whether another change point has already been specified and the offset value has been calculated (step SB8). In other words, the control unit 100 determines whether correction processing is executed before the correction processing, a change point is specified, and correction is executed. In the following, the offset value calculated by the correction process, that is, the correction process being executed at that time, and the position of the change point to which the offset value is applied are respectively referred to as “first offset value” and “first The offset value calculated immediately before the first offset value by the correction processing executed before the correction processing and the position of the change point to which the offset value is applied are respectively This is referred to as “second offset value” and “second position”.

  When there is the second offset value, the control unit 100 calculates an intermediate value between the first offset value and the second offset value (step SB9). Then, the control unit 100 corrects one or a plurality of positions including the first position (Step SB10). In step SB10, the control unit 100 executes at least correction for moving the first position by the first offset value. In addition, when there is one or a plurality of other positions (third positions) detected between the first position and the second position, the control unit 100 calculates the other positions in step SB9. Move at the intermediate value. In addition, when there is no change point corresponding to the second position, the control unit 100 may move another position detected before the first position by the first offset value. Further, the control unit 100 may move other positions detected after the first position with the first offset value.

  At the end of the correction process, the control unit 100 specifies the passing order of the recognition area by the indicator based on the trajectory corrected as described above (step SB11), and calculates the moving direction of the indicator (step SB12). . That is, the control unit 100 obtains the passing order and the moving direction after reflecting the correction. In addition, when the position other than the position of the change point is also corrected, the control unit 100 may recalculate the moving direction of the other position or respecify the passing order. Note that the specific procedure of the processes in steps SB11 and SB12 is the same as that in steps SA5 and SA6.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the determination process in step SA10. In this determination process, the control unit 100 compares the input pattern of the user with the authentication pattern stored in the storage unit 200, and determines whether or not the order of passage of each recognition area of the input pattern is a predetermined order. (Step SC1). That is, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the passing order in the input pattern matches the passing order in the authentication pattern. Further, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the movement direction of each recognition area of the input pattern matches the movement direction of each recognition area of the authentication pattern (step SC2). And the control part 100 performs the process according to these determination results (step SC3). For example, when the control unit 100 determines that the input pattern matches the authentication pattern, the control unit 100 allows processing according to the subsequent user operation, and when it determines that the input pattern does not match the authentication pattern, The processing is requested again, or a predetermined error message is displayed on the display unit 410. Moreover, the control part 100 may emit the sound according to each determination result from a speaker, or may vibrate a vibrator instead of an error message.

  Note that the control unit 100 may omit the process of step SC2 in the determination process. That is, the control unit 100 may perform the determination based only on the passing order of the recognition areas in the input pattern. However, the input pattern may include a pattern in which the passing order of each recognition area matches the authentication pattern, but the moving direction in the recognition area does not match the authentication pattern, so that the determination is made more reliable. Therefore, it can be said that it is preferable not to omit the process of step SC2.

  FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are schematic views illustrating the correction results by the correction processing of this embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a correction result in the case of the first correction mode described above, and FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a correction result in the case of the second correction mode described above. Here, A1 to A9 indicated by broken lines in the figure represent recognition areas. In the examples shown in these drawings, the points P1 and P2 both correspond to the change points before correction, that is, the positions of the change points actually detected. In addition, the locus (broken line arrow) of the indicator is linear here, but is not necessarily linear.

  In the example of FIG. 9, the control unit 100 performs correction to move the position of the point P1 to the position of the point P1a and move the position of the point P2 to the position of the point P2a. In this case, the locus of the indicator does not actually pass through the recognition areas A7 and A3, but is considered to have passed through these recognition areas. As a result, it is determined that the user input pattern matches the authentication pattern and the passing order.

  In addition, in the example of FIG. 10, the control unit 100 totally corrects other positions corresponding to the locus of the indicator in addition to the positions of the points P1 and P2. The control unit 100 moves the position detected before the point P2 to the right based on the correction result of the position of the point P2, while the position detected after the point P1 moves the point P1. These are moved to the left based on the correction results of the positions of.

  In addition, the control unit 100 determines the correction amount of the point P1 for the position detected between the points P1 and P2 (that is, the position detected after the point P2 and detected before the point P1). It is moved by a correction amount corresponding to the intermediate value of the correction amount at the point P2. In this example, the correction amount at the point P1 and the correction amount at the point P2 are correction amounts in opposite directions. Therefore, the correction amount between them cancels out the correction amount at the point P1 and the correction amount at the point P2. The amount of correction is as shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the display device 10, when a pattern is input using a non-contact recognition area, even if the position corresponding to the change point is not included in any of the recognition areas, the position of the change point is It is possible to determine the input pattern after correcting. Further, according to the display device 10, not only the position of the changing point but also other positions can be corrected according to the correction of the position of the changing point.

[Modification]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented according to the following modifications, for example. Note that these modifications may be implemented in appropriate combination as necessary.

(1) The arrangement of the recognition areas is not limited to a lattice shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the recognition area may be arranged at each position corresponding to a regular hexagonal apex. In this case, the input pattern is a broken line that connects some of the six recognition areas in a predetermined order. Therefore, the trajectory that the indicator can take is one of the broken lines in the figure. In this arrangement, it is desirable that the threshold for the amount of change in the moving direction is an angle θ shown in the drawing, that is, 60 ° or less.
The arrangement of the recognition areas is not limited to such a regular arrangement, but may be an irregular arrangement, or may be based on characters, symbols, illustrations, or the like. Furthermore, the number of recognition areas is not limited to the above-described example.

(2) When the input pattern cannot be correctly determined by one determination process, the control unit 100 corrects the position of the locus of the indicator (or the size of the recognition area) again and executes the determination process again. It may be. Here, the case where the input pattern cannot be correctly determined is, for example, the case where the number of recognition areas through which the indicator has passed is less than a predetermined number. The predetermined number here is equal to or less than the number of recognition areas included in the authentication pattern, and is, for example, half the number of recognition areas included in the authentication pattern. In this case, it is assumed that the first correction process is performed in the first correction mode.

  At this time, the control unit 100 redoes the correction process. Specifically, the control unit 100 executes the second correction process in the second correction mode instead of the first correction mode. In this way, if the user's input pattern is misaligned as a whole (although it is correct in order) and it is determined that it has not passed through the recognition area, it matches the authentication pattern. Then, it can be determined.

(3) In the process of step SB9 described above (see FIG. 7), the control unit 100 replaces the intermediate value between the first offset value and the second offset value with the first offset value and the second offset value. Another value (third offset value) based on the above may be calculated. The third offset value is a value between the first offset value and the second offset value, and can be calculated, for example, by vector calculation of these offset values.

  For example, the control unit 100 may detect another position (third position) detected between the first position and the second position by using a third offset value that gives a weight to any one of these offset values. Can be corrected. The weighting here means that when the third position is closer to the first position than the second position, the third offset value is closer to the first offset value than the intermediate value, and the third position Is closer to the second position than the first position, the third offset value is closer to the second offset value than the intermediate value.

  When there are a plurality of positions corresponding to other positions (that is, the third position), the third offset value may be a different value at each position. In addition, when there are a plurality of positions corresponding to the third position, the control unit 100 corrects the position close to the first position with the first offset value and the position close to the second position. You may correct | amend with a 2nd offset value. That is, as the third offset value, various values ranging from the first offset value to the second offset value (or from the second offset value to the first offset value) can be used.

(4) As described above, the input pattern may be configured by combining a contact position and a non-contact position. In this case, the arrangement of the recognition area consisting of the contact position and the arrangement of the recognition area consisting of the non-contact position are not necessarily the same, and there may be only one recognition area on the display surface.

  When the input pattern is configured by a combination of a contact position and a non-contact position, the control unit 100 may set only the non-contact position as a correction target and exclude the contact position from the correction target. This is because the recognition area based on the contact position is less likely to cause an operation error than the recognition area based on the non-contact position. For example, if the target image is displayed at the same position as the recognition area based on the contact position, the user can easily grasp visually where the recognition area is. Therefore, it can be said that the possibility that the recognition area is pushed incorrectly is lower than the possibility of an operation error that does not pass through the non-contact recognition area in the air. However, the control unit 100 may set both the non-contact position and the contact position as correction targets.

(5) In the embodiment described above, the control unit 100 performs correction in such a manner that the change point is always included in the recognition area. However, the control unit 100 may limit the correction amount within a certain range instead of making the correction amount unlimited. In this way, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneous determination that an actually incorrect input pattern matches the authentication pattern.

  In addition, when the correction amount is within a certain range, the control unit 100 may change the magnitude of the correction amount according to the amount of change in the movement direction. For example, the control unit 100 performs correction so that the correction amount increases (ie, moves closer to the recognition area) as the position where the change amount in the movement direction is larger among the positions detected as the locus of the indicator. Also good. This is because it can be said that the possibility of an operation error increases as the amount of change in the movement direction increases.

  In addition, it can be said that the possibility of an operation error increases as the moving speed of the indicator increases (faster). Therefore, the control unit 100 may vary the magnitude of the correction amount according to the moving speed of the indicator in the same manner as in the case of the change amount in the movement direction. For example, the control unit 100 can calculate the moving speed of the indicator based on the detection time when a plurality of positions are continuously detected and the displacement of the plurality of positions. In addition, the control part 100 can calculate the moving speed at the time of moving to the said moving direction based on the position used when calculating the moving direction of a pointer. That is, the calculation unit 120 of the control unit 100 can calculate the moving speed of the indicator together with the moving direction of the indicator.

(6) The present invention may correct the size of the recognition area instead of correcting the position detected as the locus of the indicator. In any of these correction modes, the change point can be easily included in the recognition area. Further, the present invention may execute both position correction and recognition area correction.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a correction mode of this modification. Note that the description before correction in the figure is the same as that in FIG. In this case, the control unit 100 does not move the positions of the points P1 and P2 corresponding to the change points, but increases the sizes of the areas A7 and A3, which are the recognition areas nearest to the change points, respectively. Change to A3a. Then, as a result, the points P1 and P2 pass through the areas A7a and A3a which are recognition areas (after correction). Note that the same concept as the position correction amount can be applied to the correction amount of the size of the recognition area.

(7) The authentication process (see FIG. 5) of the above-described embodiment executes the determination process (step SA10, see FIG. 8) after the position of the indicator is no longer detected in step SA1. That is, the authentication process according to the above-described embodiment executes the determination process after the user inputs the input pattern to the end. However, the authentication process of the present invention is not a process that can be performed until the user has input the input pattern to the end. For example, the determination process is performed every time the user finishes inputting a trajectory for one area. It may be performed sequentially. Further, the authentication process of the present invention may be configured such that a group is formed by a plurality of adjacent areas and the determination process is performed in units of groups, or the determination process is performed every time the indicator passes a predetermined number of areas. It may be what performs.

(8) In the present invention, the user does not always visually recognize the display surface from the front. If the viewing direction of the user is not the front direction with respect to the display surface, there may be a discrepancy between the position where the user thinks that there is a recognition area and the position of the actual recognition area. In general, the position at which the user thinks that there is a recognition area tends to be shifted to the near side (below the image displayed on the display surface) as viewed from the user with respect to the actual position of the recognition area.

  Therefore, the control unit 100 may determine the correction amount in consideration of such a discrepancy. Specifically, the control unit 100 determines the vertical direction of the display device 10 based on the image displayed on the display unit 410, and adds a correction amount corresponding to the viewing direction to the correction amount obtained in the above-described embodiment. It is possible to do so. Alternatively, when the display device 10 can detect the tilt of the display surface by the acceleration sensor, the correction amount may be varied according to the tilt detected by the acceleration sensor.

(9) The sensor unit 420 can calculate the approximate distance of the indicator according to the capacitance. The control unit 100 may vary the correction amount in accordance with the distance from the display surface of the indicator calculated in this way. For example, the control unit 100 may increase the correction amount as the indicator is farther from the display surface.

(10) The present invention is not limited to smartphones and tablet PCs, and can be implemented in various electronic devices such as electronic books, electronic dictionaries, and portable game machines. Further, the authentication device according to the present invention is not limited to the form of the display device 10 described above, and may be a form configured separately from the display device. For example, the present invention includes a computer device having at least a configuration corresponding to the control unit 100 and a display device having at least a configuration corresponding to the touch screen unit 400 and connected to the computer device by wireless communication or the like. Can also be implemented. In this case, the computer device can function as an authentication device according to the present invention as long as it has a means for exchanging information with the display device.

  The present invention can also be understood as a program executed by the computer device or a user authentication method using an authentication pattern. The program can be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as an optical disk, or in a form in which the program is downloaded to a computer via a network such as the Internet and can be installed and used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Display apparatus, 100 ... Control part, 110 ... Detection part, 120 ... Calculation part, 130 ... Identification part, 140 ... Correction part, 150 ... Determination part, 200 ... Memory | storage part, 300 ... Communication part, 400 ... Touch screen part , 410 ... display unit, 420 ... sensor unit

Claims (10)

A detection unit that continuously detects the position of the indicator that moves close to the display surface;
A calculation unit that calculates a moving direction of the indicator based on the position detected by the detection unit;
A specifying unit that specifies the position where the amount of change in the movement direction calculated by the calculating unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;
When the position specified by the specifying unit is close to the display surface and is not included in any of the plurality of recognition areas defined by a predetermined arrangement, the position and the plurality of recognition areas A correction unit that corrects at least one of the position and the size of the recognition area so that the distance to the recognition area closest to the position becomes shorter;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the indicator has passed through the plurality of recognition areas in a predetermined order based on a position detected by the detection unit, wherein the position specified by the specifying unit is An authentication device, comprising: a determination unit that performs determination by reflecting correction by the correction unit when it is not included in any of the plurality of recognition areas. The authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit moves the position specified by the specifying unit and the other position. The specifying unit specifies a first position and a second position as positions where the amount of change is equal to or greater than the threshold,
The correction unit moves the first position by a first correction amount, moves the second position by a second correction amount, and causes the detection unit to move the first position and the second position. The third position is moved by a correction amount between the first correction amount and the second correction amount when a third position is detected between the positions. The authentication device described in 1. The correction unit moves the position specified by the specifying unit and the other position when the number of the recognition areas that the indicator has passed by the determination unit is less than a predetermined number,
The determination unit, when determining that the number of the recognition areas that the indicator has passed is less than a predetermined number, performs the determination reflecting the correction by the correction unit again. The authentication device described. The calculating unit calculates a moving direction and a moving speed of the indicator based on the position detected by the detecting unit;
The authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the correction unit increases the correction amount as the moving speed calculated by the calculation unit increases. The authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit increases the correction amount as the position has a larger amount of change. The detection unit detects a non-contact position that is a position when the indicator is close to the display surface and a contact position that is a position when the indicator is in contact with the display surface,
The determination unit, have rows determination comprising said contact position and said non-contact position in the recognition area,
The authentication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction unit sets the non-contact position as a correction target and does not set the contact position as a correction target . The specific section, the authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that to vary in accordance with the threshold value to said arrangement of said plurality of recognition areas. The authentication device
A first step of continuously detecting the position of the indicator that moves close to the display surface;
A second step of calculating a moving direction of the indicator based on the position detected in the first step;
A third step of identifying the position where the amount of change in the movement direction calculated in the second step is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;
When the position specified in the third step is close to the display surface and is not included in any of the plurality of recognition areas defined by a predetermined arrangement, the position and the plurality of recognition areas A fourth step of correcting at least one of the position and the size of the recognition area so that the distance from the recognition area closest to the position is short;
A step of determining whether or not the indicator has passed through the plurality of recognition areas in a predetermined order based on the position detected in the first step, which is specified in the third step. and if the position is not included in any of the plurality of recognition areas, the authentication method characterized by performing a fifth step of judging to reflect the correction of the fourth step. On the computer,
A first step of continuously detecting the position of the indicator that moves close to the display surface;
A second step of calculating a moving direction of the indicator based on the position detected in the first step;
A third step of identifying the position where the amount of change in the movement direction calculated in the second step is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;
When the position specified in the third step is close to the display surface and is not included in any of the plurality of recognition areas defined by a predetermined arrangement, the position and the plurality of recognition areas A fourth step of correcting at least one of the position and the size of the recognition area so that the distance from the recognition area closest to the position is short;
A step of determining whether or not the indicator has passed through the plurality of recognition areas in a predetermined order based on the position detected in the first step, which is specified in the third step. And a fifth step of executing a determination by reflecting the correction of the fourth step when the detected position is not included in any of the plurality of recognition areas.

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