Segmented Sound Analysis for Privacy-Safe Apparatus Fault Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for detecting abnormalities in apparatuses by analyzing emitted sounds risk leaking customer privacy information due to the recording of ambient conversations or words, which can compromise privacy.

Innovation Solution

An information processing apparatus that divides sound data into sections where word detection is impossible, transmits specific section sound data representing abnormal sounds to an external apparatus, along with operation information, while avoiding continuous sections that may contain conversational data, thereby narrowing down the components causing the abnormality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If sound data is recorded continuously to detect apparatus abnormalities, then detection accuracy is improved, but privacy leakage risk increases due to recording of conversations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveabnormality detection accuracyVSAvoidprivacy leakage risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The sound data is divided into multiple sections based on operation information timestamps. Each section corresponds to a specific operation phase, allowing targeted analysis of abnormal sounds during operational periods while excluding periods when the apparatus is not in use, thereby reducing privacy exposure while maintaining detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Only the sections of sound data that correspond to actual operation periods are extracted and transmitted for analysis. Non-operational sections are excluded from transmission, removing the harmful privacy-containing portions while preserving the diagnostic information needed for abnormality detection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Measurement precision

If all sound data sections are transmitted for analysis, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but data transmission volume and processing load increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvediagnostic accuracyVSAvoiddata transmission volume

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Sound data is segmented into multiple sections based on operation information. Only sections corresponding to operational periods are selected for transmission, significantly reducing the total data volume while ensuring that all diagnostically relevant information is included.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system extracts only the necessary operational sections from the complete sound data set, removing redundant non-operational portions. This extraction process reduces transmission load while maintaining complete diagnostic coverage for abnormality detection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4250292B1Information processing apparatus, program, and information processing method

Publication Date: 2025.10.22 FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP

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AI summary

An information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to: acquire sound data representing a sound emitted by an apparatus; generate plural pieces of section sound data by dividing the sound data into sections where detection of words is not possible; and transmit specific section sound data among the plural pieces of section sound data, and operation information that indicates an operation of the apparatus and corresponds to the specific section sound data, to an external apparatus that analyzes the sound data of the apparatus, in association with each other.