JP7500410B2 - Authentication device and IC card - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an authentication device and an IC card.

Conventionally, there are authentication systems that can execute specific processes using the authentication results from an authentication device. For example, in an authentication system, an IC card as an authentication device performs authentication to determine whether a person is a registered person in response to a request from a higher-level device, and transmits the authentication result to the higher-level device. Meanwhile, in recent years, authentication devices such as IC cards have increasingly become equipped with a function for performing biometric authentication as a function for authenticating people. For example, some IC cards used in the above-mentioned authentication system have a fingerprint sensor that reads fingerprints as biometric information. IC cards with a fingerprint sensor perform fingerprint authentication (biometric authentication) to check whether a fingerprint read by the fingerprint sensor matches a registered fingerprint.

The IC card as an authentication device receives power from a higher-level device and becomes operational with respect to the fingerprint sensor, but will not operate unless a command is received after communication with the higher-level device is established. In other words, in conventional authentication systems, after the higher-level device has established communication with the authentication device and is in a state in which it can send commands to the authentication device, it is necessary to send a command to the authentication device requesting biometric authentication, and then to obtain the results of the biometric authentication performed by the authentication device in response to that command. For this reason, conventional authentication systems have the problem that it takes time for the higher-level device and authentication device to work together when biometric authentication on the authentication machine is successful.

It is technically possible for an IC card to perform biometric authentication immediately upon receiving power from a host device and to return an initial response to the host device after the biometric authentication is successful. However, in order to eliminate communication with unresponsive or incompatible devices, the host device must operationally treat the connection as an error if there is no normal initial response from the IC card within a specified response time. For this reason, if an IC card performs biometric authentication immediately upon receiving power from a host device and returns an initial response to the host device after the biometric authentication is successful, there is a problem in that existing host devices cannot establish communication with the IC card unless the time it takes for the biometric authentication on the IC card to be successful is within the specified response time.

JP 2001-236483 A

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an authentication device and an IC card that can reduce the time required for authentication by biometric matching.

According to an embodiment, an authentication device includes a biometric sensor, a communication unit, a first memory, a second memory, and a processor. The biometric sensor acquires biometric information of a person. The communication unit communicates with a higher-level device. The first memory stores the biometric information of a registered person. The second memory holds information indicating a state. The processor performs biometric matching between the biometric information of the registered person stored in the first memory and the biometric information acquired by the biometric sensor after transmitting an initial response to a connection request from the higher-level device via the communication unit, and stores information indicating the success of the biometric matching in the second memory if the biometric matching is successful. If the processor receives a command from the higher-level device via the communication unit while performing the biometric matching after transmitting the initial response, the processor transmits a response to the higher-level device requesting an extension of a waiting time for a response to the command.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an authentication system including an authentication device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an authentication device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the authentication system when the authentication device according to the embodiment is in the authentication mode. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of operation in the authentication mode after startup in the authentication device according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the authentication system when the authentication device according to the embodiment is in the normal (command processing) mode. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the authentication system when the authentication device according to the embodiment is in the registration mode. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the authentication system when the authentication device according to the embodiment is in the blocked mode.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of an authentication system including an authentication device 2 according to an embodiment.
In the exemplary configuration shown in FIG. 1, the authentication system includes a higher-level device 1 and an authentication device 2 .
The higher-level device 1 includes a reader/writer (RW) that functions as an interface for communicating with the authentication device 2. The higher-level device 1 is a device that executes information processing according to the result of authentication in the authentication device 2 that communicates with the higher-level device 1 via the reader/writer. For example, when authentication by biometric matching (biometric authentication) in the authentication device 2 is successful, the higher-level device 1 acquires information such as identification information (ID) or password (PW) held by the authentication device 2. The higher-level device 1 is not limited to a specific device. For example, the higher-level device 1 may be a personal computer (PC) equipped with a reader/writer (RW), or may be a device that provides a service according to the authentication result.

The authentication device 2 is an electronic device having a communication function with the higher-level device 1 and a biometric authentication function. The authentication device 2 has a portable main body (housing) C. For example, the authentication device 2 is an IC card (smart card) having a card-shaped main body C. The authentication device 2 may also be a portable device used for a specific purpose, such as a portable memory device equipped with an IC chip. In this embodiment, the authentication device 2 will be described assuming that it is, for example, an IC card.

The authentication device 2 has a communication interface for communicating with the higher-level device 1. The communication interface that the authentication device 2 has for communicating with the higher-level device 1 is not limited to a specific communication method. For example, the communication interface of the authentication device 2 may be NFC (Near Field Communication), may be one that communicates by contacting the contact portion of a contact-type IC card, or may be an interface such as USB (Universal Serial Bus).

The authentication device 2 includes a biometric sensor (authentication information acquisition unit) 122 for acquiring biometric information as authentication information acquired from a person. For example, the biometric sensor 122 included in the authentication device 2 is a fingerprint sensor that reads a fingerprint as an example of biometric information. The fingerprint sensor as the biometric sensor 122 is provided on the surface of the main body (housing) C with a reading unit for reading a fingerprint exposed. When the biometric sensor 122 is a fingerprint sensor, the authentication device 2 performs authentication (fingerprint authentication) by biometrically matching the fingerprint information of the person read by the fingerprint sensor as the biometric sensor 122 with fingerprint information of a registered person registered in advance in a memory provided in the device.
However, the authentication function by biometric matching provided in the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment is not limited to biometric matching by fingerprints. For example, the authentication device 2 exemplified by an IC card may perform biometric matching by biometric information other than a fingerprint.

Next, the configuration of a control system in the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment will be described.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment.
2, the authentication device 2 has a module functioning as a control unit 11, a biometric matching unit 12, an LED 13, etc. The control unit 11 has a processor 111, a ROM 112, a RAM (second memory) 113, a data memory (first memory) 114, and a communication unit 115. The biometric matching unit 12 has an MPU 121 and a biometric sensor 122. The MPU 121 and the LED 13 are connected to the processor 111 of the control unit 11.

For example, when the authentication device 2 is an IC card, the authentication device 2 is activated (becomes operable) by power supplied from an external device. The IC card has a main body (housing) C formed into a card shape from plastic or the like. A module functioning as a control unit 11, a biometric matching unit 12, an LED 13, and the like are held in a connected state in the main body C of the IC card as the authentication device 2. For example, the module is integrally formed with one or more IC chips connected to a communication interface, and is embedded in the main body while connected to the biometric matching unit 12 including a biometric sensor 122 and the LED 13.

The processor 111 includes circuits that execute various processes. The processor 111 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 111 controls the entire authentication device 2. The processor 111 executes programs stored in the ROM 112 or the data memory 114 to realize various processing functions. However, some or all of the various functions executed by the processor 111, which will be described later, may be realized by hardware circuits.

ROM 112 is a non-volatile memory that functions as a program memory. Control programs and control data are stored in advance in ROM 112. ROM 112 is incorporated into authentication device 2 with the control programs and control data stored therein during the manufacturing stage or the like. The control programs and control data stored in ROM 112 are incorporated in advance according to the specifications of authentication device 2. For example, ROM 112 stores a program that causes processor 111 to execute processing in response to commands that conform to a predetermined standard and are received from an external device (card reader/writer).

RAM 113 is a volatile memory that functions as a working memory. RAM 113 also functions as a buffer that temporarily stores data being processed by processor 111. For example, RAM 113 functions as a communication buffer that temporarily stores data to be sent and received between the processor 111 and an external device via communication unit 115.

In this embodiment, RAM 113 stores information indicating the result of the comparison, and is provided with a PW counter corresponding to the password (PW). A PW counter is provided for each password. The PW counter stores a value indicating the remaining number of times the corresponding password (PW) can be read. The PW counter is controlled by processor 111. For example, when processor 111 resets the PW counter, it sets the upper limit of the number of reads as the initial value in the PW counter. Processor 111 counts down the value of the PW counter each time it reads a password in response to a command from the higher-level device.

In addition, the information indicating the matching result is information indicating whether or not the biometric matching using the biometric information acquired using the biometric sensor 122 was successful. The processor 111 stores (holds) information indicating the matching result from the biometric matching in the RAM 113. For example, when the processor 111 determines that the biometric (fingerprint) information of the registrant stored (registered) in the data memory 114 and the biometric information read by the biometric sensor 122 are of the same person, it stores information indicating successful matching in the RAM 113.

The data memory (NVM) 114 includes a non-volatile memory to which data can be written and rewritten. The data memory 114 is composed of, for example, an EEPROM (registered trademark) (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). Programs and various data according to the operational use of the authentication device 2 are written into the data memory 114. Program files or data files are defined in the data memory 114, and control programs and various data are written into these files. The data memory 114 also includes a memory in which some or all of the areas are tamper-resistant and data can be stored securely.

The data memory 114 stores data for performing authentication. It stores information about the legitimate user (registered person) for performing biometric authentication by the biometric matching unit 12, various setting information related to security, and various information used for security control. In this embodiment, the data memory 114 stores an attempt counter for biometric matching, biometric information of the registered person, secret information for registration authority, secret information for unlocking the block, identification information (ID), password (PW), initial value of the attempt counter, initial value of the PW counter, etc.

The attempt counter holds a value indicating the number of attempts that can be made to perform biometric matching. The attempt counter is controlled by the processor 111. When the condition for resetting the number of biometric matching attempts is met, the processor 111 sets the attempt counter to its initial value and decrements the attempt counter value according to the number of times biometric matching has been performed.

The biometric information of the registrant is biometric information of the registrant that corresponds to the biometric matching function of the authentication device 2. For example, when the biometric matching unit 12 of the authentication device 2 performs biometric matching using fingerprints, the data memory 114 stores the fingerprint information (TP) of the registrant as the biometric information of the registrant. The fingerprint information of the registrant is a fingerprint image or fingerprint feature data for matching with fingerprint information acquired by a fingerprint sensor as the biometric sensor 122.

The PIN for registration authority is information for verifying the authority to register biometric information. For example, the PIN for registration authority is a personal identification number (PIN) that can be known to a legitimate user (registrant). The PIN for unblocking is information for verifying the authority to unblock the blocked mode. For example, the PIN for unblocking is a personal identification number (PIN) that can be known to a person who has the authority to unblock the blocked mode (the registrant, the system administrator, or the manufacturer of the authentication device 2).

Identification information (ID) is information for identifying a person. Identification information (ID) may be identification information of a registrant set in the authentication device 2, or may be information set for each service or application program installed in the authentication device 2. Password (PW) is security information corresponding to an ID. A password is set (stored) in association with an ID, and is information that can be known by the person corresponding to the ID.

The initial value of the attempt counter is an initial value set in the attempt counter. The attempt counter stores a value indicating the number of times biometric matching can be attempted. Therefore, the initial value of the attempt counter is a value indicating the upper limit of the number of times biometric matching attempts are permitted.
The initial value of the PW counter is an initial value set in the PW counter. The initial value of the PW counter is set for each password or PW counter. If the PW counter stores a value indicating the remaining number of times a password is permitted to be read, the initial value of the PW counter is a value indicating the upper limit number of times a password is permitted to be read.

The communication unit 115 has a communication control unit and an interface unit. The communication unit 115 is an interface for communication connection to the higher-level device 1 as an external device. The communication unit 115 realizes a communication function using a communication method corresponding to the reader/writer (RW) provided in the higher-level device 1. The communication unit 115 may also be configured to support multiple communication methods (for example, contact communication and non-contact communication).

For example, if the authentication device 2 is realized as a contact-type IC card, the communication unit 115 constitutes a communication unit that contacts and communicates with the higher-level device 1. In this case, the communication unit 115 includes a contact unit that makes physical and electrical contact with a contact unit provided in a reader/writer (RW) of the higher-level device 1, and is constituted by a communication control circuit that controls the transmission and reception of signals via the contact unit.

When the authentication device 2 is realized as a contactless IC card, the communication unit 115 constitutes a communication unit that communicates contactlessly (wirelessly) with the reader/writer (RW) of the higher-level device 1. In this case, the communication unit 115 includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves, and is composed of a modulation circuit for generating radio waves to be transmitted from the antenna, a demodulation circuit for generating a signal from the radio waves received by the antenna, and the like.

In addition, when the authentication device 2 is a portable device connected to the higher-level device 1 via an interface of a specified standard such as USB, the communication unit 115 constitutes a communication unit that communicates non-contact (wirelessly) with the reader/writer of the higher-level device 1. In this case, the communication unit 115 is constituted by a contact unit that can be connected to a connector of a specified standard provided on the reader/writer of the higher-level device 1, a communication control circuit that controls the transmission and reception of signals via the contact unit, and the like.

The MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 executes a program for authentication processing to perform biometric matching (biometric authentication) using the biometric information acquired by the biometric sensor 122. For example, the MPU 121 extracts fingerprint information from an image read by a fingerprint sensor serving as the biometric sensor 122, and performs fingerprint authentication by matching the fingerprint information extracted from the image read by the fingerprint sensor with the fingerprint information (fingerprint image or fingerprint feature data) of the registrant registered in the data memory 114.

The biometric sensor 122 of the biometric matching unit 12 is an example of an authentication information acquisition unit that acquires authentication information. The biometric sensor 122 is a sensor that acquires a person's biometric information as authentication information to be used in the authentication process. For example, the biometric sensor 122 is a fingerprint sensor that reads the user's fingerprint information (TP). The fingerprint sensor as the biometric sensor 122 is provided so that the sensor that reads the fingerprint is exposed on the surface of the housing that forms the authentication device 2, and reads the fingerprint of a person's finger that is held over the exposed sensor portion. Furthermore, the biometric sensor 122 is not limited to a fingerprint sensor, and may acquire biometric information other than a fingerprint. However, in the following embodiment, the biometric sensor 122 is described as being a fingerprint sensor.

The fingerprint sensor serving as biometric sensor 122 may also detect the orientation of the fingerprint (the orientation of the held-up finger) along with the fingerprint image. For example, biometric sensor 122 supplies the fingerprint image and information indicating the orientation of the fingerprint to MPU 121. In this case, MPU 121 may have the function of determining whether the orientation of the fingerprint (i.e., the finger) read by biometric sensor 122 is the same as the orientation of the fingerprint in the registered fingerprint information during fingerprint matching as biometric matching.

In the configuration example shown in FIG. 2, MPU 121 provided separately from processor 111 is configured to perform biometric matching, but processor 111 may also perform biometric matching. In this case, biometric information read by biometric sensor 122 may be supplied to processor 111. For example, processor 111 may extract fingerprint information from an image supplied from a fingerprint sensor serving as biometric sensor 122, and compare the extracted fingerprint information with the fingerprint information of the registrant registered in data memory 114.

The LED 13 lights up according to the operating state. The lighting of the LED 13 is controlled by the processor 111 or the MPU 121. For example, the LED 13 indicates the authentication state by biometric authentication. When the biometric authentication by the biometric matching unit 12 is successful, the processor 111 lights up the LED 13 in a color indicating that the biometric authentication is successful.

Next, the operation of the authentication system including the authentication device 2 according to this embodiment will be described.
The authentication device 2 returns an initial response (ATR) after starting up in response to a connection request from the higher-level device 1. After transmitting the initial response, the authentication device 2 sets an operation mode according to the registration status of fingerprint information (TP) as biometric information of the registrant and the presence or absence of blockage.

When the authentication device 2 is not in a blocked state and the fingerprint information of the registrant has already been registered, it goes into an authentication mode (initial authentication mode) in which biometric matching is performed after an initial response immediately after startup. When the authentication device 2 is not in a blocked state and the fingerprint information of the registrant has not yet been registered, it goes into a registration mode for registering biometric information. When the authentication device 2 is in a blocked state, it goes into a blocked mode in which it does not accept command processing other than authentication processing for releasing the blockage.

First, the operation of the authentication system when the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment is in an authentication mode (initial authentication mode) will be described.
FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the authentication system when the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment is in the authentication mode (initial authentication mode).
The higher-level device 1 transmits a connection request to the authentication device 2 via the reader/writer RW (ST11). For example, if the authentication device 2 is a contact IC card, the higher-level device 1 supplies power when the contact part of the contact IC card comes into contact with the reader/writer RW, and also supplies a connection request to the contact IC card as the authentication device 2. If the authentication device 2 is a non-contact IC card, the higher-level device 1 supplies a connection request together with power to the non-contact IC card as the authentication device 2 held within the communication range of the reader/writer RW. If the authentication device 2 is a portable device connected via USB, the higher-level device 1 supplies a connection request together with power to the portable device connected to the reader/writer RW.

The control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives a connection request from the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115. The processor 111 of the control unit 11 operates using power supplied from the higher-level device 1 and executes a startup process in response to the connection request (ST12). When the startup process is complete, the processor 111 transmits an initial response (ATR: Answer To Reset) indicating that startup has occurred via the communication unit 115 to the higher-level device 1 (S13).

After transmitting an initial response to the completion of startup, the processor 111 of the control unit 11 checks the operation mode. In this embodiment, the operation mode after startup is set based on whether fingerprint information (TP), which is the biometric information of the registrant in the authentication device 2, is registered and whether the state is blocked. The blocked state is determined, for example, according to the count value of an attempt counter that indicates the number of attempts of biometric matching that can be made. When the count value of the attempt counter indicates the remaining attempts of biometric matching, the processor 111 determines that the mode is blocked (blocked state) if the attempt counter is 0, and determines that the mode is not blocked if the attempt counter is not 0. In addition, if the fingerprint information has been registered and the mode is not blocked, the processor 111 determines that the mode is the authentication mode after the initial response (initial authentication mode), and if the fingerprint information has not been registered and the mode is not blocked, the processor 111 determines that the mode is registration mode.

Here, the processor 111 determines that the authentication mode is after the initial response because the fingerprint information has already been registered and the mode is not blocked (S14). In the authentication mode after the initial response, the processor 111 prohibits the reception of commands from the higher-level device 1 until the result of authentication by biometric matching is obtained. In the command prohibition state, the processor 111 causes the biometric matching unit 12 to perform fingerprint matching on the registered fingerprint information (TP). The processor 111 transfers the registered fingerprint information to the biometric matching unit 12 (S15) and instructs the biometric matching unit 12 to perform fingerprint matching on the transferred fingerprint information (S16).

The MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 performs fingerprint matching in response to instructions from the control unit 11. The MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 holds the registered fingerprint information from the control unit 11 and executes fingerprint reading by the biometric sensor (fingerprint sensor) 122 (S17). For example, the MPU 121 detects the user's finger by repeatedly reading the fingerprint using the biometric sensor 122. When the biometric sensor 122 reads the fingerprint, the MPU 121 checks whether the fingerprint information read by the biometric sensor 122 and the registered fingerprint information obtained from the control unit 11 are the fingerprint of the same person (S18). The MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 transmits the result of matching the fingerprint information read by the biometric sensor 122 against the registered fingerprint information to the processor 111.

In addition, in fingerprint matching as biometric matching, the MPU 121 may not only determine whether the fingerprint features match, but also determine whether the orientation of the fingerprint (finger) relative to the biometric sensor 122 is the same. This allows the authentication device 2 to ensure that authentication by biometric matching is not successful unless the finger is held over the biometric sensor 122 in the same direction as at the time of registration. By including the finger orientation as a factor in determining whether authentication by biometric matching is possible, only registrants who know the orientation of the fingerprint (finger) at the time of registration can successfully perform biometric matching, improving security.

In addition, while fingerprint matching after the initial response is being performed, the processor 111 of the control unit 11 is in a state where it is forbidden to accept commands. When the processor 111 of the control unit 11 receives a command from the higher-level device 1 while it is forbidden to accept commands (while fingerprint matching after the initial response is being performed), it returns a response to the higher-level device 1 indicating that it is in a busy state. In the example shown in FIG. 3, if a command is received from the higher-level device 1 while fingerprint matching after the initial response is being performed (S20), the processor 111 responds with a waiting time extension (WTX) indicating that it is in a busy state (S21). When the WTX response is received, the higher-level device 1, for example, transmits a command requesting a response and waits for a response from the authentication device 2 (S22).

After the initial response, the processor 111 of the control unit 11 acquires the result of biometric matching (fingerprint matching) that it has instructed the biometric matching unit 12 to perform.
If the authentication result obtained by biometric matching is a failed match (S23), the processor 111 counts down an attempt counter which stores the maximum number of times fingerprint matching can be performed as an initial value, and executes processing according to the value of the attempt counter (S24).

For example, if the value of the attempt counter after counting down in response to a failed match is not 0, the processor 111 supplies a matching instruction to the biometric matching unit 12 again. When supplying a matching instruction again (if the attempt counter is not 0), the processor 111 returns to S16 while keeping the command reception prohibited state, and executes the above-mentioned process again.

If the value of the attempt counter after counting down in response to a failed match is 0, the processor 111 sets the authentication device 2 in a blocked mode. In this case, the processor 111 may transmit information indicating a blocked error to the higher-level device 1, or may transmit to the higher-level device 1 a message indicating that user authentication using a fingerprint has failed.

If a successful match is obtained as the authentication result by biometric matching (S25), the processor 111 stores information indicating that the biometric matching was successful in the RAM 113, and resets (to the initial value) the attempt counter that stores the maximum number of times fingerprint matching can be performed (S26).

When the processor 111 stores information indicating successful matching in the RAM 113, it transmits a response to the higher-level device 1 indicating that command processing is possible (S27). Furthermore, the processor 111 releases the prohibition on command reception and changes the operating mode from the authentication mode after the initial response to the normal (command processing) mode in which command processing is possible (S28).

By the above process, the authentication device 2 immediately executes the authentication process by biometric matching after the initial response, and retains information indicating successful matching if the authentication process is successful. As a result, even if authentication by biometric matching is not requested from the higher-level device 1, the authentication process by biometric matching can be executed immediately after the initial response, and normal mode can be entered when biometric matching is successful. As a result, the authentication system as a whole can shorten the time required to perform biometric matching in the authentication device 2. Also, because the initial response is returned to the higher-level device 1 in the normal procedure, even if biometric matching takes time, normal communication with the higher-level device 1 operating on an existing communication protocol can be maintained.

Next, the operation of the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment in the authentication mode (initial authentication mode) will be described in detail.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of operation in the authentication mode (initial authentication mode) in the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment.
When the control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives a connection request from the higher-level device 1 (S31), it executes a startup process under the control of the processor 111 (S32). If the authentication device 2 is a contact or non-contact IC card, the control unit 11 operates by receiving power from the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115, and executes the startup process in response to the connection request from the higher-level device 1. If the authentication device 2 is a device having an internal power source such as a battery, the control unit 11 receives a command requesting a connection from the higher-level device 1 and executes the startup process.

When the processor 111 completes the startup process, it generates a message for an initial response and transmits an initial response (ATR) including the message for the initial response to the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115 (S33). After transmitting the initial response, the processor 111 sets an operation mode according to the state of the authentication device 2. To set the operation mode after the initial response, the processor 111 determines whether an attempt counter provided in the data memory 114 for counting the number of biometric matching attempts is not 0 (S34).

If the attempt counter is 0 (S34, NO), the processor 111 sets the operation mode of the authentication device 2 to the blocked mode (S49). When setting the authentication device 2 to the blocked mode, the processor 111 performs the operation shown in FIG. 7, which will be described later.

If the attempt counter is not 0 (S34, YES), the processor 111 determines whether or not fingerprint information (TP) as biometric information of the registrant has been registered (S35). If TP as biometric information of the registrant has not been registered (S35, NO), the processor 111 sets the operation mode of the authentication device 2 to the registration mode (S36). When setting the authentication device 2 to the registration mode, the processor 111 performs the operation shown in FIG. 6, which will be described later.

If fingerprint information (TP) is registered as biometric information of the registrant (S35, YES), the processor 111 sets the operation mode of the authentication device 2 to authentication mode (initial authentication mode) and starts operation in the authentication mode (S37). When the authentication mode starts, the processor 111 transfers the fingerprint information (TP) of the registrant stored in the data memory 114 to the biometric matching unit 12 and instructs it to attempt biometric matching (S38).

The MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 stores the registered fingerprint information from the control unit 11 in an internal memory, and performs (attempts) authentication by biometric matching in response to an instruction to perform biometric matching (S39). In the biometric matching unit 12, the MPU 121 reads the user's fingerprint using the fingerprint sensor as the biometric sensor 122, and checks whether the read fingerprint and the registered fingerprint information provided by the control unit 11 belong to the same person. The MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 supplies the processor 111 with the results of performing biometric matching using the fingerprint read by the biometric sensor 122 and the registered fingerprint information.

In other words, if the MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 determines that the fingerprint read by the biometric sensor 122 and the registered fingerprint information are the fingerprint of the same person, it transmits to the processor 111 a message indicating that the biometric matching was successful, and if it cannot determine that the fingerprint read by the biometric sensor 122 and the registered fingerprint information are the fingerprint of the same person, it transmits to the processor 111 a message indicating that the biometric matching was unsuccessful.

The MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 may also determine whether the orientation of the fingerprint (finger) relative to the biometric sensor 122 is the same as the orientation of the fingerprint at the time of registration, as part of fingerprint matching. This allows the authentication device 2 to ensure that biometric matching is successful in biometric authentication after an initial response to the higher-level device 1 unless the orientation of the user's finger held over the biometric sensor 122 is the same as the orientation at the time of registration. As a result, the authentication device 2 can ensure that only registrants who know the orientation of the fingerprint (finger) at the time of registration can successfully perform biometric matching, improving security.

Also, it may be possible to set in the authentication device 2 whether or not the fingerprint orientation is a determining factor for biometric matching. In other words, the authentication device 2 may be configured to perform authentication by biometric matching without considering the fingerprint orientation during operation, or to determine that authentication by biometric matching is successful when the fingerprint orientations match. Furthermore, when authentication by biometric matching fails, the MPU 121 may notify the higher-level device 1 of whether the authentication failed because the fingerprint features did not match or because the fingerprint orientation did not match.

After instructing the biometric matching unit 12 to perform biometric matching, the processor 111 waits for the results of the authentication process performed by the biometric matching from the biometric matching unit 12. The processor 111 prohibits the reception of commands from the higher-level device 1 while the biometric matching is being performed by the biometric matching unit 12. If the processor 111 receives a command from the higher-level device 1 while the biometric matching is being performed by the biometric matching unit 12 (S40, YES), it transmits a waiting time extension (WTX) to the higher-level device 1 as a response to the command (S41).

When information indicating successful matching is obtained from the biometric matching unit 12 as a result of the authentication process by biometric matching (S42, YES), the processor 111 stores (stores) information indicating that the biometric matching is successful in the RAM 113 as information indicating the authentication status by biometric matching (S43). In addition, when the processor 111 obtains information indicating successful matching from the biometric matching unit 12, it resets the attempt counter in the data memory 114 by setting the counter to an initial value (S44).

After retaining information indicating that biometric matching was successful and resetting the attempt counter, the processor 111 ends the authentication mode after the initial response (initial authentication mode) (S45) and transitions to a command processing mode as the normal operating mode (S46). The processor 111 accepts commands from the higher-level device 1 and operates in the normal mode (command processing mode) by lifting the prohibition on receiving commands in response to the end of the initial authentication mode. The operation of the authentication device 2 in the normal mode will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

In addition, information indicating that biometric matching was successful is stored in RAM 113. Therefore, when the power supply from the higher-level device 1 to the authentication device 2 is cut off, the information stored in RAM 113 indicating that biometric matching was successful is erased. In other words, when the power supply to the authentication device 2 is turned off, the authentication device 2 erases the information indicating that biometric matching was successful. For example, if the authentication device 2 is a device that operates on power supplied from the higher-level device 1, such as an IC card, the information held by the authentication device 2 indicating that biometric matching was successful is erased when the connection with the higher-level device 1 is cut off.

If the biometric matching in the biometric matching unit 12 fails (S42, NO), the processor 111 counts down the attempt counter in the data memory 114 (S47). When the attempt counter has counted down, the processor 111 determines whether the attempt counter has reached 0 (S48). If the attempt counter is not 0 (S48, NO), the processor 111 returns to S38 and instructs the biometric matching unit 12 to perform biometric matching again. If the attempt counter is 0 (S48, YES), the processor 111 sets the operating mode of the authentication device 2 to the blocked mode (S49). The operation of the authentication device 2 when it is set to the blocked mode will be described later with reference to FIG. 7.

Next, the operation of the authentication system when the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment is in an operation mode (command processing mode) in which fingerprint authentication has been successful will be described.
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the authentication system when the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment is in the command processing mode.
In the normal mode, the authentication device 2 executes various processes in response to various commands supplied from the higher-level device 1. For example, after starting up, the processor 111 provides a PW counter in the RAM 113 corresponding to the password (PW) stored in the data memory 114, and sets the upper limit of the number of times the PW can be read as an initial value in the PW counter. In this way, the processor 111 manages the remaining number of times that the password, the number of times of which is limited, can be read using the PW counter. In the normal mode, the processor 111 counts down the PW counter every time the PW is read.

Here, the higher-level device 1 transmits an ID read command requesting the ID held by the authentication device 2 (S51). The control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives the ID read command sent from the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115. When the ID read command is received, the processor 111 of the control unit 11 reads the ID specified in the command from the data memory 114, and generates response data including the read ID (S52). After generating the response data including the ID, the processor 111 transmits the response data indicating the generated ID to the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115 (S53).

The higher-level device 1 obtains response data including the ID as a response to the ID read command. After obtaining the ID as a response to the ID read command, the higher-level device 1 transmits a PW read command requesting the reading of the password corresponding to the ID (S54). In response, the control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives the PW read command sent from the higher-level device 1 by the communication unit 115.

When a PW read command is received, the control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 executes command processing for the received PW read command (S55). As processing for the PW read command, the processor 111 of the control unit 11 determines whether the value of a PW counter provided in the RAM 113 corresponding to the PW specified in the command is 0. Note that when the processor 111 is requested to read a password (PW) for the first time after startup, it may provide a PW counter in the RAM 113 corresponding to the PW, and set the upper limit of the number of times the PW can be read as an initial value in the PW counter.

If the value of the PW counter corresponding to the PW specified in the command is not 0, the processor 111 reads the PW specified in the command from the data memory 114. After reading the PW from the data memory 114, the processor 111 counts down the PW counter provided in the RAM 113 corresponding to the PW. If the value of the PW counter after counting down is not 0, the processor 111 generates response data including the read PW and the value of the PW counter (the remaining number of times the PW can be read), and transmits the generated response data to the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115 (S56).

When the higher-level device 1 receives response data including a PW and information indicating the value of the PW counter from the authentication device 2, if the value of the PW counter included in the response data is not 0, the higher-level device 1 can determine the remaining number of times that the PW can be read from the authentication device 2.
Next, an operation will be described in which the higher-level device 1 transmits an ID read command and a PW read command to an authentication device 2 whose PW counter value is 1 (the remaining number of times that the PW can be read is 1).

It is assumed that the higher-level device 1 transmits an ID read command to the authentication device 2 for which the PW counter value is not 0 (S57). The control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives the ID read command sent from the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115, reads the ID specified in the command from the data memory 114 (S58), and transmits response data including the read ID to the higher-level device 1 (S59).

When response data including the ID is obtained from the authentication device 2, it is assumed that the higher-level device 1 again transmits a PW read command requesting the reading of the password corresponding to the ID (S60). In response, the control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives the PW read command sent from the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115. Upon receiving the PW read command, the processor 111 of the control unit 11 executes processing for the received PW read command (S61). The processor 111 first confirms that the value of the PW counter corresponding to the PW specified in the command is not 0. After confirming that the value of the PW counter is not 0, the processor 111 reads the PW specified in the command from the data memory 114 and counts down the PW counter corresponding to the PW.

If the value of the PW counter after counting down is 0, the processor 111 generates response data including the read PW and information indicating that the value of the PW counter is 0 (the number of remaining times that the PW can be read is 0, i.e., this is the last time that the PW has been read), and transmits the generated response data to the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115 (S62).

When the higher-level device receives response data including information indicating that the value of the PW counter is 0 (the remaining number of times the PW can be read is 0), the higher-level device can determine that reading of the PW from the authentication device 2 has been completed.
Next, an operation will be described in which the higher-level device 1 transmits an ID read command and a PW read command to the authentication device 2 whose PW counter value is 0 (the remaining number of PW reads is 0).

When the higher-level device 1 transmits an ID read command to the authentication device 2 (S63), the control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives the ID read command via the communication unit 115, reads the ID specified in the command from the data memory 114 (S64), and transmits response data including the read ID to the higher-level device 1 (S65), in the same manner as in the above-described process.

After receiving the response data including the ID from the authentication device 2, the higher-level device 1 transmits a PW read command requesting the reading of a password whose PW counter is already set to 0 in the authentication device 2 (S66). In response, the control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives the PW read command sent from the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115, and executes processing for the received PW read command (S67). The processor 111 confirms that the value of the PW counter corresponding to the PW specified in the command is 0. If the value of the PW counter corresponding to the specified PW is 0, the processor 111 generates response data including information indicating that the specified PW has reached the read upper limit (there is a read upper limit error), and transmits the generated response data to the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115 (S68).

When the higher-level device 1 receives response data including a read limit error, it can determine that the specified PW could not be read because it has already reached the read limit. The authentication device 2 can not only perform authentication by biometric matching after the initial response, but also limit the number of times information such as a password can be read. As a result, the authentication device 2 can not only reduce the authentication time in subsequent processing by performing biometric matching after the initial response, but also prevent information such as a password from being read unlimitedly based on biometric matching after the initial response, thereby strengthening security.

The authentication device 2 can also reset the PW counter by performing biometric matching in response to a request from the higher-level device 1. That is, the authentication device 2 can perform authentication by biometric matching not only after an initial response, but also in response to a request from the higher-level device 1, and can reset the PW counter and the like when authentication by biometric matching is successful. For example, if a readout upper limit error occurs, the higher-level device 1 can read out the PW from the authentication device 2 again by having the authentication device 2 perform biometric matching.

Next, the operation when the higher-level device 1 requests biometric matching from the authentication device 2 will be described. The higher-level device 1 transmits a biometric matching request command to the authentication device 2 to request authentication by biometric matching (S69). The control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives the biometric matching request command from the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115.

When the processor 111 of the control unit 11 receives a command requesting biometric matching, it prohibits the reception of commands from the higher-level device. The processor 111 instructs the biometric matching unit 12 to perform fingerprint matching while in the command reception prohibition state (S70). Here, it is assumed that the biometric matching unit 12 holds the registered fingerprint information (TP) supplied from the control unit 11 in the authentication mode after the initial response.

In response to the matching instruction, the MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 executes fingerprint reading by the biometric sensor (fingerprint sensor) 122 (S71). For example, the MPU 121 detects the user's finger by repeatedly reading the fingerprint using the biometric sensor 122. When the biometric sensor 122 reads the fingerprint, the MPU 121 checks whether the fingerprint information read by the biometric sensor 122 and the registered fingerprint information obtained from the control unit 11 are the fingerprint of the same person (S72). The MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 transmits the result of matching the fingerprint information read by the biometric sensor 122 against the registered fingerprint information to the processor 111.

When the processor 111 of the control unit 11 receives a matching failure from the biometric matching unit 12 as a result of the authentication process by biometric matching (S73), the processor 111 counts down an attempt counter that stores the maximum number of times fingerprint matching can be performed as an initial value, and executes a process according to the value of the attempt counter (S74). If the value of the attempt counter that has been counted down in response to the matching failure is not 0, the processor 111 supplies an instruction to perform matching again to the biometric matching unit 12. When supplying an instruction to perform matching again (if the attempt counter is not 0), the processor 111 performs biometric matching again.

If the value of the attempt counter counted down due to a failed match is 0, the processor 111 determines that the biometric matching in the authentication device 2 has failed. In this case, the processor 111 transmits response data to the higher-level device 1, which is the sender of the biometric matching request command, as a match result indicating that authentication by biometric matching has failed.

When the biometric matching unit 12 has obtained a result of the authentication process by biometric matching indicating that matching has been successful (S75), the processor 111 resets (to the initial value) an attempt counter that stores the upper limit of the number of times fingerprint matching can be performed, and stores information indicating that biometric matching has been successful in the RAM 113 (S76). Furthermore, the processor 111 resets the PW counter provided in the RAM 113 by setting the PW counter to the initial value.

After storing information indicating successful matching in the RAM 113 and resetting the counter, the processor 111 transmits response data indicating that authentication by biometric matching was successful to the higher-level device 1 (S77).
According to the above process, the authentication device 2 executes authentication by biometric matching in response to a request for biometric matching from the higher-level device 1, and if the authentication by biometric matching is successful, the PW counter can be reset. Also, the higher-level device 1 can determine that the PW counter has been reset (the number of times the PW has been read out has been reset) due to the success of the authentication by biometric matching in the authentication device 2, and can retry the PW read process again with a PW read command.

Next, the operation of the authentication system when the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment is in the registration mode will be described.
FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the authentication system when the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment is in the registration mode.
3, the higher-level device 1 first transmits a connection request to the authentication device 2 via the reader/writer RW (ST81). The control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives the connection request from the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115. The processor 111 of the control unit 11 executes a startup process in response to the connection request from the higher-level device 1 (ST82). When the startup process is completed, the processor 111 transmits an initial response (ATR: Answer To Reset) indicating that the device has been started via the communication unit 115 to the higher-level device 1 (S83).

After sending an initial response to the completion of startup, the processor 111 of the control unit 11 checks the operation mode. Here, it is assumed that the authentication device 2 is not in the blocked mode and that the fingerprint information is not registered. In this case, since the authentication device 2 is not in the blocked mode and the fingerprint information (TP) as the biometric information of the registrant is not registered, the processor 111 sets the operation mode to the registration mode (S84). When the control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 sets the operation mode immediately after the initial response to the registration mode, it does not execute command processing such as a read command, but performs registration processing of the fingerprint information as the biometric information of the registrant in response to a request from the higher-level device 1. For example, in the registration mode, the processor 111 returns an error notification to the effect that the fingerprint information (TP) is not registered in response to a command such as a read command.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, after receiving an initial response from the authentication device 2, the higher-level device 1 transmits an ID read command requesting the reading of the ID (S85). In response, the control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives the ID read command from the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115. If the operating mode is the registration mode, the processor 111 of the control unit 11 does not perform command processing corresponding to the ID read command, and determines that an error (unregistered error) occurs because the fingerprint information (TP) of the registrant is not registered (S86). In this case, the control unit 11 transmits response data indicating that the fingerprint information (TP) is not registered (unregistered error) to the higher-level device 1 (S87).

When the higher-level device 1 receives a TP unregistered error as a response to the ID read command, it recognizes that the fingerprint information (TP) is unregistered in the authentication device 2. If the fingerprint information in the authentication device 2 is unregistered, the higher-level device 1 executes a process for registering the fingerprint information (TP) in the authentication device 2.
In this embodiment, as described above, the authentication device 2 stores a personal identification number (PIN) as secret information for registration authority in the data memory 114. Therefore, the higher-level device 1 requests the authentication device 2 to verify the PIN for registration authority (S89). For example, the higher-level device 1 transmits to the authentication device 2 an authentication request for registration authority including information input by the operator as the PIN.

The control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 executes authentication of the registration authority in response to an authentication request for registration authority based on a PIN for registration authority received from the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115 (S90). For example, the processor 111 of the control unit 11 authenticates the registration authority based on whether or not the information included in the authentication request supplied from the higher-level device 1 (information input by the operator as a PIN) matches the secret information (PIN) for registration authority stored in the data memory 114. If the authentication of the registration authority is successful, the processor 111 transmits response data indicating that fingerprint information can be registered to the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115 (S91).

When the higher-level device 1 acquires response data indicating that fingerprint information can be registered, it requests the authentication device 2 to register the fingerprint information (S92). When the control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives the registration request from the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115, it instructs the biometric matching unit 12 to register the fingerprint information (TP) as biometric information (S93). In response to the instruction from the control unit 11, the MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 performs a process of acquiring the fingerprint information to be registered as the fingerprint information of the registrant using the biometric sensor 122.

The MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 detects the finger of a person (registered person) by repeatedly reading the fingerprint using the biometric sensor (fingerprint sensor) 122 (S94). When the MPU 121 detects the finger of the person, it acquires fingerprint information captured by the biometric sensor 122 (S95). When the MPU 121 acquires the fingerprint information captured using the biometric sensor 122, it supplies the acquired fingerprint information (TP) to the processor 111 of the control unit 11 (S96).

Here, the biometric matching unit 12 may have a fingerprint sensor as the biometric sensor 122 that detects the orientation of the fingerprint together with information indicating the characteristics of the fingerprint, such as a fingerprint image, and the MPU 121 may supply information indicating the orientation of the fingerprint together with information indicating the characteristics of the fingerprint, such as a fingerprint image, as fingerprint information to the processor 111. This allows the authentication device 2 to register fingerprint information including information indicating the orientation of the fingerprint at the time of registration as the fingerprint information of the registrant when the operation is such that not only the fingerprint characteristics but also the identity of the fingerprint orientation is determined in biometric matching.

The processor 111 temporarily stores the fingerprint information (TP) acquired from the biometric matching unit 12 in the RAM 113 or the data memory 114. The processor 111 requests the biometric matching unit 12 to perform biometric matching on the fingerprint information (fingerprint information that is a candidate for registration) to confirm whether the temporarily stored fingerprint information is appropriate as fingerprint information for a registrant. That is, the processor 111 transfers the temporarily stored fingerprint information (TP) to the biometric matching unit 12 (S98), and supplies an instruction to the biometric matching unit 12 to perform fingerprint matching on the fingerprint information (S99).

The MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 performs fingerprint matching in response to instructions from the control unit 11. The MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 holds the fingerprint information provided by the control unit 11 and executes reading of the fingerprint by the biometric sensor (fingerprint sensor) 122 (S100). When the MPU 121 reads the fingerprint by the biometric sensor 122, it checks whether the fingerprint information read by the biometric sensor 122 and the fingerprint information of the candidate for registration provided by the control unit 11 are the fingerprint of the same person (S101). The MPU 121 of the biometric matching unit 12 transmits the result of matching the fingerprint information read by the biometric sensor 122 against the registered fingerprint information to the processor 111. Here, it is assumed that the fingerprint matching was successful, and the MPU 121 provides information indicating the success of the fingerprint matching to the processor 111 of the control unit 11.

When the processor 111 obtains a successful match as a result of the fingerprint matching (S102), it stores (registers) the temporarily stored fingerprint information in the data memory 114 as the fingerprint information of the registrant (S103). In this case, since the fingerprint matching using the registered fingerprint information was successful, the processor 111 stores information indicating that authentication by biometric (fingerprint) matching was successful in the RAM 113 (S104). Furthermore, the processor 111 resets (to the initial values) the attempt counter and the PW counter that store the maximum number of times fingerprint matching can be performed (S105).

When the registration process for registering the fingerprint information as the biometric information of the registrant is completed, the processor 111 transmits a response indicating the completion of registration to the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115 (S106). In this case, the processor 111 transitions the operation mode of the authentication device 2 to the normal (command processing) mode (S107).

Next, the operation of the authentication system when the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment is in the blocked mode will be described.
FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the authentication system when the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment is in the blocked mode.
The control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 according to the embodiment operates in a blocked mode when the value of an attempt counter that stores the number of possible attempts of biometric matching is 0 (S110). In the blocked mode, when the control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 receives an ID read command from the higher-level device 1 (S111), the control unit 11 does not execute the process for the command due to the blocked state, and executes error processing. In this case, the processor 111 transmits response data to the higher-level device 1, which is the sender of the ID read command, indicating that the command processing due to the blocked mode is an error (blocking error) (S113).

The higher-level device 1 recognizes that the authentication device 2 is in the blocked mode by receiving a blocking error in response to an ID read command. When the higher-level device 1 wants to release the blocked mode of the authentication device 2, it has the authentication device 2 execute a block release process.

In this embodiment, as described above, the authentication device 2 is assumed to have a personal identification number (PIN) stored in the data memory 114 as secret information for unlocking the block. Therefore, the higher-level device 1 requests the authentication device 2 to verify the PIN for unlocking the block (S114). For example, the higher-level device 1 transmits to the authentication device 2 an authentication request for unlocking authority that includes the information input by the operator as the PIN.

The control unit 11 of the authentication device 2 executes authentication of the unblocking authority in response to an authentication request for the unblocking authority from the higher-level device 1 received by the communication unit 115 (S115). For example, the processor 111 of the control unit 11 authenticates the unblocking authority based on whether or not the information included in the information supplied from the higher-level device 1 (the PIN entered by the operator) matches the secret code (PIN) for the unblocking authority stored in the data memory 114. If the authentication of the unblocking authority is successful, the processor 111 resets the attempt counter by setting the value of the attempt counter to the initial value (S116).

When the above-described unblocking process for unblocking the blocked mode is completed, the processor 111 transmits response data indicating that the blocked mode has been unblocked to the higher-level device 1 via the communication unit 115 (S117). In this case, the processor 111 transitions the operation mode of the authentication device 2 to the normal (command processing) mode (S118).

As described above, the authentication device according to the embodiment transmits an initial response to a connection request from a higher-level device, and then performs biometric matching between the biometric information of the registered person stored in the data memory and the biometric information acquired by the biometric sensor. If the biometric matching after the initial response is successful, the authentication device stores information indicating the success of the biometric matching in RAM. When the authentication device receives a command from the higher-level device, and stores information indicating the success of the biometric matching in RAM, it executes command processing according to the command from the higher-level device.

As a result, the authentication device according to the embodiment can perform biometric matching without waiting for an authentication request from the higher-level device after establishing a connection with the higher-level device by transmitting an initial response to a connection request from the higher-level device. As a result, the authentication device can reduce the time it takes to perform biometric matching. In addition, by storing in RAM the fact that biometric matching was successful, the authentication device can quickly process commands from the higher-level device in a state where it is confirmed that the person who has successfully performed biometric matching is operating the authentication device.

In addition, the authentication device according to the embodiment transmits a response requesting an extension of the waiting time for a response to a command from the higher-level device while performing biometric matching after transmitting the initial response. This allows the authentication device to prohibit (postpone) the execution of a process in response to a command from the higher-level device while performing biometric matching after transmitting the initial response.

Furthermore, when biometric matching is successful, the authentication device according to the embodiment resets (to the initial state) a read counter for counting the number of times that specific information, such as a password, can be read based on the upper limit of the number of times that specific information can be read. This allows the authentication device to limit the number of times that specific information can be read even if biometric matching is successful after transmitting an initial response, and furthermore, when the number of times that specific information can be read exceeds the upper limit, the authentication device can also reset the number of times that the read counter can be counted by biometric matching again upon a request from a higher-level device.

Furthermore, if the biometric information of the registrant is not stored in the data memory after sending the initial response, the authentication device according to the embodiment switches to a registration mode in which the biometric information registration process is executed in response to a request from the higher-level device, and executes the biometric information registration process in response to a request for biometric information registration from the higher-level device. This allows the authentication device to avoid processing in response to a read command or the like when biometric information is not registered, and can send a response to the higher-level device that prompts the user to register biometric information.

The functions described in each of the above embodiments can be realized not only by using hardware, but also by loading a program that describes each function into a computer using software. Also, each function may be configured by selecting either software or hardware as appropriate.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.
The following is a summary of the contents of the claims as originally filed.
[1]
A biometric sensor for acquiring biometric information of a person;
A communication unit for communicating with a higher-level device;
a first memory for storing biometric information of a registered person;
a second memory for storing information indicating a state;
a processor that, after transmitting an initial response to a connection request from the higher-level device by the communication unit, executes biometric matching between the biometric information of the enrolled person stored in the first memory and the biometric information acquired by the biometric sensor, and stores, in the second memory, information indicating success of the biometric matching if the biometric matching is successful;
An authentication device having the above configuration.
[2]
when the processor receives a command from the higher-level device via the communication unit, if information indicating success of biometric matching is stored in the second memory, the processor executes a process in accordance with the command from the higher-level device.
The authentication device according to [1].
[3]
when the processor receives a command from the higher-level device via the communication unit while performing the biometric matching after transmitting the initial response, the processor transmits a response to the higher-level device requesting an extension of a waiting time for a response to the command.
An authentication device according to any one of [1] and [2].
[4]
the processor resets, when the biometric matching is successful, a read counter corresponding to specific information for which an upper limit on the number of reads is set, to an initial state;
An authentication device according to any one of [1] to [3].
[5]
if the biometric information of the registrant is not stored in the first memory after transmitting the initial response, the processor executes a process of registering the biometric information in response to a request from the higher-level device.
An authentication device according to any one of [1] to [4].
[6]
If the biometric information of the registrant is not stored in the first memory after transmitting the initial response, the processor responds to a command from the higher-level device by indicating that the biometric information is not registered, and executes a process of registering the biometric information in response to a request from the higher-level device after transmitting the response indicating that the biometric information is not registered.
The authentication device according to [5].
[7]
The biometric sensor is a fingerprint sensor that acquires fingerprint information as biometric information.
An authentication device according to any one of [1] to [6].
[8]
A biometric sensor for acquiring biometric information of a person;
a module including a communication unit for communicating with a higher-level device, a first memory for storing biometric information of a registered person, a second memory for holding information indicating a state, and a processor for executing biometric matching between the biometric information of the registered person stored in the first memory and the biometric information acquired by the biometric sensor after the communication unit transmits an initial response to a connection request from the higher-level device, and for storing information indicating the success of the biometric matching in the second memory if the biometric matching is successful;
a housing that holds the module and the biosensor in a connected state;
An IC card having the above structure.

1... higher-level device, 2... authentication device, C... main body (housing), 11... control unit, 12... biometric matching unit, 111... processor, 112... ROM, 113... RAM (second memory), 114... data memory (first memory), 115... communication unit, 121... MPU, 122... biometric sensor (fingerprint sensor).

Claims (7)

A biometric sensor for acquiring biometric information of a person;
A communication unit for communicating with a higher-level device;
a first memory for storing biometric information of a registered person;
a second memory for storing information indicating a state;
a processor that, after transmitting an initial response to a connection request from the higher-level device by the communication unit, executes biometric matching between the biometric information of the enrolled person stored in the first memory and the biometric information acquired by the biometric sensor, and stores information indicating success of the biometric matching in the second memory if the biometric matching is successful;
when the processor receives a command from the higher-level device via the communication unit while performing the biometric matching after transmitting the initial response, the processor transmits a response to the higher-level device requesting an extension of a waiting time for a response to the command.
Authentication device. when the processor receives a command from the higher-level device via the communication unit, if information indicating success of biometric matching is stored in the second memory, the processor executes a process in accordance with the command from the higher-level device.
The authentication device according to claim 1 . the processor resets, when the biometric matching is successful, a read counter corresponding to specific information for which an upper limit on the number of reads is set, to an initial state;
The authentication device according to claim 1 or 2 . if the biometric information of the registrant is not stored in the first memory after transmitting the initial response, the processor executes a process of registering the biometric information in response to a request from the higher-level device.
The authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . If the biometric information of the registrant is not stored in the first memory after transmitting the initial response, the processor responds to a command from the higher-level device, indicating that the biometric information is not registered, and executes a process of registering the biometric information in response to a request from the higher-level device after transmitting the response indicating that the biometric information is not registered.
The authentication device according to claim 4 . The biometric sensor is a fingerprint sensor that acquires fingerprint information as biometric information.
The authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . A biometric sensor for acquiring biometric information of a person;
a module including a communication unit for communicating with a higher-level device, a first memory for storing biometric information of a registered person, a second memory for holding information indicating a state, and a processor for executing biometric matching between the biometric information of the registered person stored in the first memory and the biometric information acquired by the biometric sensor after the communication unit transmits an initial response to a connection request from the higher-level device, and for storing information indicating the success of the biometric matching in the second memory if the biometric matching is successful;
a housing that holds the module and the biosensor in a connected state ;
when the processor receives a command from the higher-level device via the communication unit while performing the biometric matching after transmitting the initial response, the processor transmits a response to the higher-level device requesting an extension of a waiting time for a response to the command.
IC card.