Augmented Reality Gating Mechanism for Privacy Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing augmented reality systems raise privacy concerns as they capture and transmit sensitive images without user consent, deterring users from using these devices, especially in private or sensitive spaces.

Innovation Solution

An augmented reality display system with a detachable camera that, when attached, allows full data transmission, including images, while preventing image transmission when detached, using a gating mechanism to control data flow based on camera attachment, ensuring only geometric information is shared without images.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the AR system captures and transmits images from sensors to provide accurate augmented reality experience, then the quality and realism of AR experience is improved, but user privacy is compromised due to potential capture of sensitive images without consent

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveAR experience qualityVSAvoidprivacy violation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the harmful element (image data) from the data transmission stream by implementing a gating mechanism that selectively blocks image data while allowing geometric information to pass through. This separates the useful geometric data from the potentially harmful image data, resolving the contradiction between AR quality and privacy protection

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The gating mechanism acts as an intermediary component between the sensors and the data transmission system. It mediates the data flow by intelligently filtering out image data that could violate privacy while permitting geometric information necessary for AR functionality, thus resolving the conflict between experience quality and privacy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If the system transmits all sensor data including images to mobile platform for processing, then the processing accuracy and AR rendering quality is improved, but the data transmission volume and processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveAR rendering accuracyVSAvoiddata transmission volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The gating mechanism extracts and removes redundant image data from the transmission stream, keeping only the essential geometric information. This reduction in data volume directly addresses the contradiction by transmitting less data while maintaining the processing accuracy needed for AR rendering

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the sensor data into distinct categories (image data and geometric information) and selectively transmits only the necessary geometric portion. This segmentation approach reduces overall data transmission volume while preserving the accuracy-critical geometric data for AR processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3695888B1Privacy-sensitive consumer cameras coupled to augmented reality systems
Publication Date: 2021.12.29 MAGIC LEAP INC
  • EP3695888B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3695888B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3695888B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

An augmented reality display device comprises a housing for one or more components for the augmented reality display device, wherein the one or more components comprises a plurality of sensors to capture information pertaining to the user's surroundings, and wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors is an image-based sensor, a processing module communicatively coupled to the housing to process a set of data retrieved from the plurality of sensors, wherein the processing module comprises a gating mechanism that selectively allows data to be uploaded to a mobile platform, and a detachable camera removably attached to a housing of the augmented reality display device, wherein the gating mechanism selectively allows the set of data retrieved from the plurality of sensors to be transmitted to the mobile platform based at least in part on whether the detachable camera is detected to be attached to the housing of the augmented reality display system.