Privacy Masking in Surveillance Cameras via Spatial Object Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surveillance systems often capture images of individuals requiring privacy protection, leading to potential privacy violations in areas like hospitals, hotels, or department stores.
Innovation Solution
A surveillance apparatus and method that applies a privacy mask to objects within a surveillance area by detecting and tracking target objects based on spatial relationships with reference objects, such as distance and overlapping area, using an AI model for image processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surveillance cameras capture images of individuals in the surveillance area, then surveillance effectiveness is improved, but privacy protection is violated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies selective masking to specific regions of interest (faces, bodies) while maintaining clarity of other areas. The system identifies target objects based on spatial relationships with reference objects and applies masking only where privacy protection is needed, allowing surveillance to remain effective for security monitoring while protecting privacy of identified individuals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a reference object as an intermediary element to determine masking requirements. Instead of directly identifying individuals requiring privacy protection, the system uses the spatial relationship between target objects and reference objects to infer masking needs, thereby protecting privacy while maintaining surveillance capability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If masking is applied to protect privacy of target objects, then privacy protection is improved, but surveillance effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies masking only to specific local regions (faces, bodies) of target objects rather than the entire image or all objects. This selective approach protects privacy of identified individuals while maintaining surveillance effectiveness for other areas and overall security monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the surveillance area into regions based on spatial relationships with reference objects. By dividing the image into masked and unmasked regions, the system protects privacy of target objects while preserving surveillance capability in other segments of the surveillance area.
3Measurement precision
If the system continuously monitors and tracks objects to apply masking, then privacy protection accuracy is improved, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection and tracking of target objects and reference objects to establish spatial relationships before applying masking. By preparing object identification and position data in advance, the system achieves accurate privacy protection while managing computational complexity through efficient preprocessing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors spatial relationships between target objects and reference objects, adjusting masking application based on real-time feedback from object tracking. This feedback mechanism ensures accurate privacy protection while optimizing computational resources by only processing and masking when spatial relationships indicate privacy requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A surveillance apparatus includes: a memory storing instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions, where, by executing the instructions, the one or more processors are configured to control: an camera to generate an image by capturing a surveillance area, and an image processing module to perform masking on a target object included in the image based on masking conditions for the target object being satisfied, and where the masking conditions are based on at least one of a distance between the target object and a reference object included in the image, and an overlapping area between the target object and the reference object included in the image.