Camera Module Genesis Block for Image Provenance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Digital image files lack secure and permanent attribution of origin and ownership information, making them susceptible to unauthorized alteration and misuse, which complicates issues like copyright protection and accurate representation of events.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a genesis block of a digital ledger, such as a blockchain, into image files at creation, including metadata like a hash of the image, camera ID, location, and user information, ensuring this information is permanent and inseparable from the image data even if the image is altered or converted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If image files are shared and altered using photo editing software, then ease of operation and adaptability improve, but reliability and authenticity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by embedding a genesis block containing cryptographic hash and origin metadata into the image file at the moment of capture, before any sharing or editing occurs. This pre-embedded digital fingerprint serves as an immutable reference that can later verify the image's authenticity and trace its provenance, resolving the contradiction between ease of image manipulation and reliability of authentication.
2Reliability
If unique identification information is embedded in image files at creation, then reliability and traceability improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by implementing a multi-functional genesis block that consolidates multiple identification and verification functions into a single data structure. The genesis block simultaneously stores cryptographic hash for integrity verification, metadata for origin attribution, and chain linkage for provenance tracking, thereby achieving comprehensive reliability enhancement without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A camera module includes an imaging sensor that outputs raw image sensor data representative of a scene and an imaging logic engine that processes the raw image sensor data into image data in a predetermined image format. The imaging logic engine carries out a hash function to generate a hash of the image data and adds a genesis block of a digital ledger as part of the image data so that the genesis block is part of the image data in an image file output by the camera module, the genesis block containing the hash.