Vehicle Image Recording System with Personal Information Masking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image recording systems for vehicles face challenges in protecting personal information within captured images, as they often transmit unmasked data to third parties, potentially violating privacy standards.

Innovation Solution

An image recording system that includes a travel status recording apparatus with personal information identification and masking capabilities, and a server that determines whether to restore or conceal personal information based on preset restoration levels, allowing secure sharing of masked images with third parties.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If personal information is disclosed in captured images to third parties, then information transparency is improved, but personal privacy protection deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation transparencyVSAvoidpersonal privacy exposure
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary masking of personal information in captured images before transmission to third parties. The travel status recording apparatus automatically detects and masks personal information such as faces and license plates in advance, so that when images are disclosed to third parties, the personal privacy is already protected while maintaining information transparency for non-personal elements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The server acts as an intermediary between the travel status recording apparatus and third parties. It receives captured images, determines restoration levels based on preset criteria, and selectively restores or conceals personal information before providing images to third parties. This intermediary processing layer enables controlled information disclosure while protecting personal privacy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If personal information is concealed in all captured images, then personal privacy protection is improved, but information utility for third parties deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepersonal privacy protectionVSAvoidinformation utility
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the level of personal information disclosure based on restoration level determinations. Rather than uniformly concealing all personal information, the server selectively restores personal information in certain images based on preset criteria and third-party requests, creating a dynamic balance between privacy protection and information utility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of personal information visibility by applying different restoration levels. The server can transition images between masked and restored states based on predetermined conditions, allowing the same image to serve different purposes at different times while maintaining appropriate privacy protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If captured images are transmitted to third parties without processing, then transmission simplicity is improved, but personal information security deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission simplicityVSAvoidpersonal information security
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The travel status recording apparatus performs preliminary masking of personal information before transmission, so that the automatic privacy protection is built into the transmission process itself. This eliminates the need for complex manual processing while ensuring personal information security is maintained during third-party transmission.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11277589B2Image recording system
Publication Date: 2022.03.15 DENSO TEN LTD
  • US11277589B2 patent drawing
  • US11277589B2 patent drawing
  • US11277589B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A travel status recording apparatus records an image captured by a camera mounted on a vehicle, identifies personal information included in the captured image, and masks the personal information in the captured image. A server acquires a masked image corresponding to the captured image in which the personal information is masked from the travel status recording apparatus. The server determines, in response to a request from a third party, whether to restore the personal information included in the acquired masked image based on a preset restoration level. In a case where the server determines to restore the personal information, the server restores the personal information. In a case where the server determines not to restore the personal information, the server conceals the personal information.