Depth-Aware Privacy Processing for Surveillance Image Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing monitoring systems face challenges in providing adequate privacy protection for individuals in images while maintaining visibility, as uniform privacy processing can lead to insufficient blurring or excessive blurring, affecting congestion condition analysis.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a monitoring system with an image processing device that detects person regions using crowd patches and depth information, applying varying levels of privacy processing based on depth or index-related depth information to ensure effective privacy protection without reducing image visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If uniform privacy processing is applied to all person regions, then privacy protection is improved, but image visibility deteriorates due to excessive blurring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different privacy processing strengths to different person regions based on their depth information. Near-side persons receive weaker blurring while far-side persons receive stronger blurring, allowing each region to receive appropriate processing intensity that balances privacy protection with image visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the image into multiple depth-based regions and applies privacy processing independently to each segment. By dividing the image according to depth information, the system can apply varying levels of blurring to different segments rather than applying uniform processing to the entire image.
2Reliability
If uniform privacy processing is applied to all person regions, then privacy protection is improved, but insufficient blurring occurs for near-side persons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the blurring strength locally based on depth information. Near-side persons, who require stronger privacy protection, receive more intensive blurring processing, while far-side persons receive less intensive processing, ensuring that each region receives adequate blurring for its specific privacy needs.
3Reliability
If privacy processing is applied to entire image, then privacy protection is improved, but processing load increases unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and processes only the person regions that require privacy protection based on depth information, rather than processing the entire image. By identifying and isolating the relevant regions (near-side persons) and applying processing only to those regions, the system reduces unnecessary processing load on the entire image.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided are a monitoring system and the like which implement personal privacy protection while suppressing a reduction in visibility for an image. The monitoring system is provided with: a camera device; a person region detection means for detecting a person region that is a region where a person appears within an image captured by the camera device; and a privacy processing means for performing, on the person region, privacy processing the strength of which differs according to a depth associated with coordinates of the person region or a predetermined index related to the depth.