Sensor State Notification for User Privacy Awareness

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing information processing terminals lack effective means to recognize the functional state of sensors from outside, making it difficult for users to identify which sensors are actively recording their state without permission.

Innovation Solution

An information processing device and method that acquires and notifies users of sensor states through notification information, allowing recognition of sensors around them, including operation setting information and potential for state acquisition, using a combination of target terminals, observer terminals, and servers for detailed information acquisition.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a simple notifying unit (lamp) is used, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to recognize sensor functional state in detail deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotifying unit complexityVSAvoidsensor functional state information

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a notification server as an intermediary between the sensor notifying unit and the user's terminal device. The server receives notification information from the lamp, processes it, and transmits detailed sensor state information back to the user's terminal, enabling detailed recognition without increasing the complexity of the physical notifying unit itself

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces direct mechanical/optical notification (where the lamp would need to display detailed information directly) with an information communication system using radio waves. The lamp simply transmits presence information, and detailed sensor state data is transmitted electronically through the notification server to the user's terminal display

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If constant sensor monitoring is performed, then privacy protection is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy protectionVSAvoidterminal energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The notification server operates periodically by receiving notification information from sensors at predetermined time intervals rather than continuously processing all sensor data. This periodic operation allows the system to maintain privacy awareness while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to constant monitoring and processing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

3Loss of information

If detailed sensor state information is displayed, then user awareness of recording is improved, but information processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesensor state information completenessVSAvoidinformation processing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the information processing function by separating the notification reception function (handled by the simple lamp) from the information processing and display function (handled by the notification server and user terminal). This segmentation allows detailed information processing to occur at the server and terminal level without increasing the complexity of the distributed notification system components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10891846B2Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Publication Date: 2021.01.12 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

There is provided an information processing device that enables recognition that there is a sensor from which a state of a user is likely to be acquired from a circumference, the information processing device including: an acquiring unit configured to acquire information relating to a sensor which is likely to acquire a state of a user on the basis of notification information for allowing recognition of existence of a sensor located around the user.