Privacy Preserving Sensor Feature Extraction Circuitry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sensor devices in home environments raise privacy concerns as they capture and transmit sensitive data without user consent, which can be intercepted or misused by malicious actors, compromising user privacy.
Innovation Solution
A privacy-preserving sensor apparatus is designed with integrated feature extraction circuitry that extracts specific features from sensor signals, such as audio or video, to detect desired events while preventing the reconstruction of original signals, thereby ensuring user privacy. This apparatus is embedded in a tamper-resistant housing and configured to transmit only obfuscated features to prevent unauthorized access or semantic analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensor devices capture and transmit detailed signals (audio, video) for event detection, then detection accuracy is improved, but user privacy is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential features needed for event detection from the sensor signals, discarding the rest. The feature extraction circuitry identifies and processes specific characteristics (e.g., voice command patterns, crying detection features) while leaving the original detailed signals unavailable for reconstruction, thus achieving accurate event detection without compromising privacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the signal processing into two distinct stages: feature extraction and event detection. The feature extraction circuitry separates the relevant features from the complete signal, creating a simplified representation that maintains detection capability while removing sensitive information. This segmentation ensures that only necessary data is processed and transmitted.
2Reliability
If complete sensor signals are transmitted to cloud services for analysis, then event detection capability is improved, but data security is worsened due to interception risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential features needed for event detection from the sensor signals, discarding the rest. The feature extraction circuitry identifies and processes specific characteristics (e.g., voice command patterns, crying detection features) while leaving the original detailed signals unavailable for reconstruction, thus achieving accurate event detection without compromising privacy.
3Reliability
If sensors continuously monitor the environment, then event detection reliability is improved, but privacy concerns increase due to unnoticed capture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential features needed for event detection from the sensor signals, discarding the rest. The feature extraction circuitry identifies and processes specific characteristics (e.g., voice command patterns, crying detection features) while leaving the original detailed signals unavailable for reconstruction, thus achieving accurate event detection without compromising privacy.
Data Source
AI summary
A privacy preserving sensor apparatus is described herein. The privacy preserving sensor apparatus includes a microphone that is configured to output a signal that is indicative of audio in an environment. The privacy preserving sensor apparatus further includes feature extraction circuitry integrated in the apparatus with the microphone, the feature extraction circuitry configured to extract features from the signal output by the microphone that are usable to detect occurrence of an event in the environment, wherein the signal output by the microphone is unable to be reconstructed based solely upon the features.