Privacy-Enabled Building Surveillance via Sensor Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional building automation systems face a challenge in providing security to private areas like bedrooms while maintaining privacy, as sensors capable of capturing private information are often disabled to avoid privacy breaches, leading to ineffective security in case of intrusions.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a plurality of sensors communicatively coupled to a controller, including biometric and physical parameter sensors, to detect and authenticate individuals, activate surveillance only upon unauthorized entry, and alert authorities, ensuring both security and privacy by recording data only during unusual events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensors capable of capturing private information are installed in private areas to provide security, then security effectiveness is improved, but privacy protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic sensor activation based on authentication status. Sensors capable of capturing private information are activated only when an unauthenticated person is detected, and deactivated when authenticated persons are present. This dynamic control resolves the contradiction by making security effective only when needed (unauthorized presence) while protecting privacy during normal occupied periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational state parameter of sensors based on authentication results. When a person is authenticated, the system transitions to a privacy-protected state where sensitive sensors remain inactive. When authentication fails or is not performed, the system transitions to a security-monitoring state where sensors are activated. This parameter change approach allows the system to adapt between security and privacy requirements.
2Reliability
If sensors are continuously activated in private areas to detect intrusions, then detection reliability is improved, but privacy protection deteriorates due to continuous recording
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous sensor activation, the system employs periodic or event-triggered activation. Sensors are activated only during specific periods when intrusion is suspected (when authentication fails or physical parameters indicate unauthorized presence) and deactivated during normal periods when authenticated persons are present. This periodic action maintains detection reliability while minimizing privacy information recording.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary authentication detection using non-intrusive sensors (physical parameter sensors) before activating privacy-sensitive sensors. When these preliminary sensors detect anomalies such as unauthorized presence, the system then activates the privacy-sensitive surveillance sensors. This preliminary action ensures that privacy-invasive sensors are activated only when necessary, maintaining both detection reliability and privacy protection.
3Reliability
If multiple types of sensors are deployed to enhance surveillance capability, then security monitoring effectiveness is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sensor system into two distinct functional groups: physical parameter sensors (for authentication and intrusion detection) and privacy-sensitive surveillance sensors (for detailed monitoring). This segmentation allows the system to use simple, always-on physical sensors for continuous monitoring while keeping complex, privacy-invasive sensors inactive unless needed. The segmentation reduces overall system complexity by separating always-active basic functions from conditional advanced functions.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method and system for providing privacy enabled surveillance for a portion of a building with a building automation system. The building automation system comprises sensors communicatively coupled to a controller. The controller detects a number of persons based on information from a first set of sensors, authenticates the number of person detected with the first set of sensors by comparing the information from the first set of sensors with a registered information with the building automation system, determines a number of authenticated person, detects a number of persons based on information from a second set of sensor for detecting physical parameters associated with the portion of the building, activates a sensor for surveillance based on difference between the number of determined number of authenticated person in the portion of the building and the number of detected person by the second set of sensors.