Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of providing technology that makes it possible to perform verification for the purposes of distribution management, authenticity assessment, and the like of merchandise without building an RFID chip into each of a plurality of fasteners. The present invention is characterized in that image characteristics of a component of a product to be verified are acquired and the product to be verified is verified on the basis of the acquired image characteristics of the component.

Abstract: The present invention is a distribution management method comprising: previously storing an image characteristic of an epidermal pattern in a predetermined collation area of the agricultural, forest and fishery product to be produced or shipped by a producer or a distributor; imaging the epidermal pattern in the collation area of the agricultural, forest and fishery product, being a collation target, and acquiring the image characteristic of the epidermal pattern in the collation area; and collating the stored image characteristic of the epidermal pattern with the image characteristic of the epidermal pattern in the collation area of the agricultural, forest and fishery product, being a collation target, and determining whether or not the agricultural, forest and fishery product, being a collation target, is the agricultural, forest and fishery product produced or shipped by the producer or distributor.

Abstract: An individual identifier extraction device includes: an imaging part configured to obtain an image by imaging a label which is attached to an object and includes a random pattern and an alignment reference portion; and an extraction part configured to acquire, from the image obtained by imaging, an image of an area determined with reference to the alignment reference portion on the label, and extract a feature quantity of the random pattern as an individual identifier of the object from the image of the area.

Abstract: An individual identifier extraction device has: an acquisition part configured to acquire an image of a layer formed on an object, containing fine particles, and having an irregular planar shape; and an extraction part configured to extract a feature quantity dependent on the planar shape of the layer and the distribution of the particles as an individual identifier of the object from the image.

Abstract: An attachment tool includes an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of a random pattern provided on a comparison region of a part; and an identification result-outputting unit configured to output a part identification result obtained by comparing an image characteristic of the captured image of the random pattern with a previously stored image characteristic of a random pattern of a part.

Abstract: A comparison system includes a portable terminal including image capturing unit configured to capture a comparison image of a predetermined comparison region of a comparison object; and a server including comparison unit configured to compare the comparison object with a registered object on the basis of a statistical value for the luminance value of pixels in a registered image of the registered object, the pixels of the registered image existing at pixel positions corresponding to pixel positions estimated to be generating specular reflection in the comparison image captured by the portable terminal.

Abstract: An imaging unit, an extraction unit, a feature amount pair generation unit, and an imaging parameter adjustment unit are included. The imaging unit acquires images obtained by imaging each of N (N?3) types of objects a plurality of times by setting a value of a specific imaging parameter, among a plurality of types of imaging parameters, as a certain candidate value and changing a value of the remaining imaging parameter. The extraction unit extracts a feature amount from each of the images. The feature amount pair generation unit generates, as a first feature amount pair for each of the N types of objects, a feature amount pair in which two feature amounts constituting the feature amount pair are extracted from images of objects of the same type, and generates, as a second feature amount pair for every combination of the N types of objects, a feature amount pair in which two feature amounts constituting the feature amount pair are extracted from a images of objects of the different types.

Abstract: The present invention is a collation/retrieval system collating a product manufactured by or delivered from a producer or a distributor with a product to be collated comprising: a storage unit that stores an image feature of a predetermined collation area of the product determined in advance at a position relative to a reference section common in every product; a to-be-collated product feature extraction unit that receives an image of the product to be collated and detecting the reference section of the product from the received image to extract an image feature of the collation area determined by reference to the reference section; and a collation unit that collates the stored image feature with the image feature of the collation area of the product to be collated.

Abstract: An object management system includes an identifier generation device and an object collation device. The identifier generation device includes a generation unit that forms an ink layer on a target object, an imaging unit that images an uneven pattern on a surface of the ink layer, and a registration unit that registers the imaged result in a storage unit. The object collation device includes an imaging unit that images the uneven pattern on the surface of the ink layer formed on the target object, and a recognizing unit that recognizes the target object based on an image of the uneven pattern obtained by imaging.

Abstract: The present invention is a verification method comprising: designating as a verification area at least a part of a predetermined area of an article that has a textured pattern provided thereto, and previously storing at least one or more image features of the textured pattern of the verification area; acquiring the image feature of the textured pattern that is provided to the verification area of an article to be verified; and verifying the article to be verified by using the acquired image feature and the stored image features.

Abstract: An individual identifying device includes a generation unit and an imaging unit. The generation unit generates a pattern on an object. The imaging unit acquires an image of the pattern after the pattern is stabilized, in conjunction with generation of the pattern by the generation unit.

Abstract: The present invention is a collation/retrieval system collating a product manufactured by or delivered from a producer or a distributor with a product to be collated comprising: a storage unit that stores an image feature of a predetermined collation area of the product determined in advance at a position relative to a reference section common in every product; a to-be-collated product feature extraction unit that receives an image of the product to be collated and detecting the reference section of the product from the received image to extract an image feature of the collation area determined by reference to the reference section; and a collation unit that collates the stored image feature with the image feature of the collation area of the product to be collated.

Abstract: A position determining device is equipped with a matching unit. The matching unit matches a random pattern in a photographed image of a portion of a ceiling or floor photographed by a portable terminal against a random pattern in a photographed image of a larger area of the ceiling or floor than the aforementioned portion so as to determine the position of the photographed image of the aforementioned portion on the photographed image of the larger area. The matching unit determines the position of the ceiling located above the portable terminal or the position of the floor located therebelow on the basis of the identified position on the photographed image of the larger area.

Abstract: An individual identifying device includes a conversion unit and an alignment unit. The conversion unit performs frequency conversion on an image obtained by imaging an object. The alignment unit performs alignment of an image for extracting a feature amount for identifying an individual of the object, based on a first subregion in the image after the frequency conversion.

Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of providing a technique for determining the authenticity of a product without requiring a special device such as an integrated circuit (IC) tag. A means for solving this problem according to the invention is characterized by determining the authenticity of a target product on the basis of the validity of the association between the body of the product and a surface-treated component that is mounted to the body and that has been validated.

Abstract: An individual identifying device includes a plurality of generation units and an imaging unit. The generation units generate a pattern on an object. The imaging unit acquires an image of the pattern in conjunction with generation of the pattern.

Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of providing a technique for determining the authenticity of a product without requiring a special device such as an integrated circuit (IC) tag. A means for solving this problem according to the invention is characterized by determining the authenticity of a target product on the basis of the validity of the association between the body of the product and a surface-treated component that is mounted to the body and that has been validated.

Abstract: The present invention is an identification method comprising: with at least a part of a skeleton part of an identification mark attached to a component or a product defined as a matching area, identifying the component, product, or product having the component as one of its constituent elements using a textured pattern formed in the matching area.

Abstract: An object management device manages an object based on a microscopic pattern on the surface of the object included in an image of the surface of the object. The object management device has a position correction unit. The position correction unit aligns the image based on the microscopic pattern appearing in common on a plurality of objects.

Abstract: An individual identifier extraction device has: an acquisition part configured to acquire an image of a layer formed on an object, containing fine particles, and having an irregular planar shape; and an extraction part configured to extract a feature quantity dependent on the planar shape of the layer and the distribution of the particles as an individual identifier of the object from the image.