Video Image Processing for Cardiovascular Signal Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
The rise in video communication has led to potential unauthorized monitoring of users' cardiovascular activity through transdermal optical imaging (TOI) techniques, raising privacy concerns as companies or devices may unknowingly or unwillingly gather data on users without consent.
Innovation Solution
An image processing system that modifies captured image data to obscure or alter cardiovascular activity signals, using region selection and color change modification techniques, optionally with machine learning models like generative adversarial networks, to ensure privacy and allow users to control the displayed cardiovascular activity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If video communication is used for professional and recreational purposes, then engagement and communication quality are improved, but user privacy and control over cardiovascular activity data are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an image processing system as an intermediary between the video communication system and TOI analysis. This intermediary modifies the captured image data by altering skin tone characteristics in specific regions, thereby preventing accurate cardiovascular activity measurement while maintaining the video communication function. The intermediary preserves user privacy control without compromising communication engagement.
2Measurement precision
If TOI techniques are used to detect cardiovascular activity from video images, then health monitoring capability is improved, but user privacy and consent control are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and modifies only the specific image data elements that contain cardiovascular activity information (skin tone variations in selected regions) while leaving the rest of the video communication functionality intact. By selectively removing or altering only the problematic data elements, the system prevents unauthorized health monitoring while preserving the video call experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by pre-modifying the image data before it can be analyzed by TOI techniques. The image processing system proactively alters skin tone characteristics in advance, preventing the extraction of accurate cardiovascular activity data. This preemptive measure ensures privacy protection without requiring user awareness or consent.
3Loss of information
If image data is modified to obscure cardiovascular activity, then user privacy is improved, but the ability to accurately transmit physiological information is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by modifying only specific regions of the image data where skin tone variations indicate cardiovascular activity, rather than altering the entire image. The system selectively targets regions containing physiological information and applies tone modifications only there, thereby protecting privacy while minimizing impact on other image qualities and maintaining overall video communication functionality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively protects user privacy by concealing actual cardiovascular activity and enabling users to display a chosen activity, reducing the ability of TOI techniques to accurately measure their true physiological state.
Implementation Method 1
transdermal optical imaging (TOI), which operates based upon a series of images of exposed portions of the user's skin. TOI has been developed to use images captured by widely-available digital cameras, such as the camera of a smart-phone, to detect the small colour variations of a user's skin. These colour changes are indicative of the blood flow beneath the skin of the user
Implementation Method 2
as human skin is translucent, light may penetrate through the skin. This light may then be reflected by subdermal elements, such as blood vessels, and then re-emitted through the user's skin. Changes in this re-emitted light are dependent on the changes of the blood flow beneath the skin
Implementation Method 3
Photo-plethysmography uses an LED to illuminate the skin, with the quantity of transmitted/reflected light being monitored to identify cardiac cycles (which, over time, indicates a heart rate of the user) or other characteristics of the user's cardiac activity
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 2
AI summary
An image processing system for modifying one or more images of a user to change a cardiovascular activity that is measurable from the one or more images, the system comprising: an image receiving section configured to receive image data comprising a plurality of image frames; a region selection section configured to select one or more regions where the colour of the skin of the user changes temporally in the image data, wherein the colour changes are indicative of the cardiovascular activity of the user; and a modifying section configured to modify the colour change of the one or more selected regions in one or more image frames to create modified image data, as described elsewhere herein.