Face Crop Encryption for Privacy-Preserving Security Images

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Solution Overview

Problem

Modern camera security systems pose privacy concerns as video and images of individuals can be freely accessed and distributed without adequate security and privacy features.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for image redaction that includes facial recognition to detect faces, crop and encrypt them using unique encryption keys, and obscure or encrypt the face crops from the remaining image data, while maintaining a record of access.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If faces are left visible in security images, then security monitoring effectiveness is improved, but privacy protection deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecurity monitoring effectivenessVSAvoidprivacy violation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the image processing into distinct functional modules: face detection module, encryption module, and redaction module. Each module handles a specific aspect of the privacy protection process, allowing the system to maintain security monitoring while protecting individual privacy through specialized processing stages

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary encryption layer that processes face data between capture and storage. Encryption keys act as intermediaries that control access to facial information, allowing the system to retain monitoring capabilities while preventing unauthorized access to private information through controlled decryption mechanisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If encryption is applied to all image data, then privacy protection is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy protectionVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies encryption and redaction selectively only to detected face regions rather than processing entire images. This localized approach concentrates computational resources on privacy-sensitive areas while leaving the rest of the image data unprocessed, significantly reducing overall processing time while maintaining privacy protection effectiveness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs face detection and region identification before applying encryption operations. By pre-identifying which areas require protection, the system avoids unnecessary encryption of non-sensitive image regions, optimizing processing efficiency while ensuring comprehensive privacy protection for all facial data

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Object-affected harmful factors

If face data is obscured, then privacy protection is improved, but access to security information deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy protectionVSAvoidsecurity information access

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the state of face data from visible to encrypted through controlled parameter transformation. Encryption keys serve as transformation parameters that convert readable facial information into protected formats, allowing the system to maintain security monitoring capabilities while protecting privacy through reversible parameter-based transformation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Reliability

If unique encryption keys are used for each device and face, then security strength is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecurity strengthVSAvoidencryption key management

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal key generation framework that creates device-specific and face-specific encryption keys through a standardized process. This universal approach allows the system to generate unique encryption credentials for each device-face combination while maintaining consistent key management procedures, reducing operational complexity despite the proliferation of unique keys

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20250390604A1Systems and methods for image encryption

Publication Date: 2025.12.25 XAILIENT

AI summary

In an aspect, a system for image redaction is presented. The system includes an image recording device configured to generate image data. A computing device is in communication with the image recording device. The computing device is configured to detect a face in the image data as a function of a facial recognition process. The computing device is configured to modify the image data. Modifying the image data includes reversibly obscuring a face crop from a remaining portion of the image data. The computing device is configured to communicate the modified image data to another computing device.