Patent ID: 7466847

Claim:
A driver's appearance recognition system comprising: a camera which captures a face image of a driver's face; infrared light radiation means for radiating an infrared ray to the driver's face and changing illumination intensity according to the amount of supplied current when the camera captures the face image; appearance recognition control means for, based on a face image captured by the camera, executing a first driver's appearance recognition process to recognize a driver's appearance and a second driver's appearance recognition process different from the first driver's appearance recognition process and for controlling the camera and the infrared light radiation means; current amount control means for providing control that a first setup value is defined for a setup value of current supplied to the infrared light radiation means when the appearance recognition control means executes the driver's appearance recognition process and that a second setup value different from the first setup value is defined for a setup value of current supplied to the infrared light radiation means when the appearance recognition control means executes the second driver's appearance recognition process; and riding detection means for detecting that a driver gets into a vehicle, wherein the appearance recognition control means includes: first output means for outputting an instruction signal to the current amount control means notifying that a setup value for current supplied to the infrared light radiation means is defined as the first setup value when the riding detection means inputs a signal notifying that a driver gets into a vehicle; first execution means for executing the first driver's appearance recognition process using the face image captured by the camera under condition that the infrared light radiation means is supplied with current from the current amount control means configured to the first setup value; determination means for determining whether or not the first execution means completes the first driver's appearance recognition process; second output means for outputting an instruction signal to the current amount control means notifying that a setup value for current supplied to the infrared light radiation means is defined to be the second setup value lower than the first setup value when the determination means determines that the first driver's appearance recognition process is complete; and second execution means for executing the second driver's appearance recognition process using the face image captured by the camera under condition that the infrared light radiation means is supplied with current from the current amount control means configured to the second setup value.