Automatic Character Area Hiding and Restoration in Image Capture

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional methods for hiding character information in images require manual specification of the character information position, which is time-consuming and may not effectively prevent personal information from being read, and existing technologies struggle to hide arbitrary character information while ensuring it can be restored.

Innovation Solution

An image capturing and processing system that extracts character areas, converts them using methods like encrypting JPEG, generates a hiding image, and encodes the subject image with the hiding image, allowing for automatic hiding and subsequent restoration of character information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual specification of character information position is performed, then character information can be hidden, but it requires much time and is inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecharacter information hiding effectivenessVSAvoidtime for manual specification

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically detects and processes character information in images without requiring manual user input. The character area image extracting unit autonomously identifies character regions, and the hiding image generating unit automatically creates and applies hiding images to these regions, enabling the system to serve itself rather than requiring continuous human intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The manual mechanical process of specifying character positions is replaced by an automated image processing system. The character area image extracting unit uses image processing algorithms to automatically detect and extract character regions, substituting the manual mechanical specification process with an automated computational approach.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If character area image is converted and hidden, then personal information is protected, but it may be impossible to restore the original character information

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepersonal information leakageVSAvoidrestorability of character information

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

Before the character area image is overwritten with the hiding image, the system performs preliminary conversion of the character area image using a predetermined conversion method (such as encryption). This converted image data is stored in advance, enabling future restoration of the original character information while maintaining protection in the meantime.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system temporarily discards the original character information by overwriting it with a hiding image for protection purposes. However, because the converted character area image data is preserved separately, the original character information can be recovered when needed, implementing a temporary discard-and-recover strategy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Ease of manufacture

If conventional image processing methods are used, then character information can be obscured, but arbitrary character information cannot be effectively hidden and personal information may leak

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesimplicity of image processingVSAvoideffectiveness of character information hiding

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the character area images from the main image using the character area image extracting unit. By separating and extracting only the character-containing regions, the system can apply hiding processing specifically to these areas, ensuring effective character information protection while maintaining the simplicity of the overall process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS8350920B2Image capturing apparatus, image capturing method, image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program capable of hiding desired character information and restoring the hidden character information

Publication Date: 2013.01.08 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

An image capturing apparatus to capture an image of a subject includes an extracting unit configured to extract a character area image of an area including a character from a captured subject image; a converting unit configured to convert the character area image in accordance with a first predetermined method; a first generating unit configured to generate a hiding image to make the character area image unrecognizable to a user; an encoding unit configured to encode the subject image in which the character area image is overwritten with the generated hiding image in accordance with a second predetermined method; and a second generating unit configured to generate a file including area information specifying the area, converted character area image information obtained through the conversion, and subject image information obtained through the encoding.