HMD Camera Privacy Masking via Clarity Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing head-mounted display systems struggle to effectively utilize captured images that may contain sensitive or private information, as the imaging range and direction can change, making it difficult to automatically mask or conceal such information without human intervention.
Innovation Solution
A head-mounted display apparatus with a display unit, imaging unit, and control unit that captures images and specifies a non-display region based on stored non-display information, lowering the clarity of that region in the captured image data to conceal sensitive content, such as faces or equipment, while allowing the system to adapt to changing imaging conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual visual observation is used to determine whether sensitive information is captured, then privacy protection can be achieved, but the system becomes cumbersome and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects and masks sensitive information in captured images without requiring manual visual observation. The control unit autonomously determines whether the imaging unit has captured non-display objects (such as faces or confidential documents) and applies appropriate masking processing, enabling the system to protect privacy independently without human intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manual visual observation with an automated image processing system. The control unit uses image analysis algorithms to detect sensitive content in captured images and automatically applies masking, substituting human visual inspection with computational image processing to achieve both efficiency and reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the imaging range or direction changes dynamically, then the system becomes more adaptable to different environments, but it becomes difficult to automatically specify and mask sensitive regions
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit continuously monitors the captured image data and dynamically adjusts masking based on real-time detection of non-display objects. When the imaging unit captures sensitive information, the system provides feedback by identifying the affected regions and applying appropriate masking processing, enabling automatic adaptation to changing imaging conditions without increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The masking system is designed to be dynamic rather than static. The control unit continuously analyzes captured image data and adjusts the masking regions in real-time based on the current imaging conditions and detected sensitive content. This dynamic approach allows the system to handle changing imaging ranges and directions automatically without requiring complex pre-programming for each scenario.
3Manufacturing precision
If all captured images are processed with high clarity, then image quality is maintained, but sensitive information may be exposed
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different quality levels to different regions of the captured image. Sensitive regions containing non-display objects (such as faces or confidential documents) are masked with reduced clarity, while non-sensitive regions maintain their original high quality. This selective processing preserves overall image utility while protecting privacy where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of processing the entire image uniformly, the system applies masking only to the specific portions containing sensitive information. The control unit identifies non-display objects and applies clarity reduction exclusively to those regions, leaving the rest of the image at full quality. This partial action approach maintains image quality where appropriate while providing privacy protection where necessary.
Data Source
AI summary
To provide HMD including an image display unit worn by a user on a head and configured to display an image, a camera provided in the image display unit and configured to capture an image in a predetermined direction relative to the image display unit, and a control unit configured to specify a non-display region in an imaging range of the camera, perform a process of lowering a clarity of the non-display region on captured image data of the camera, and output the processed captured image data.