Watching Monitoring Camera Processing for Private, Clear Body Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing watching monitoring technologies face challenges in balancing the need to protect privacy with the ability to accurately grasp the situation of a watched person, particularly when the person is moving, and there is a delay in image output that hinders immediate situational awareness.
Innovation Solution
A watching monitoring apparatus and method that includes a monitoring camera, a person detector to classify individuals into face and body parts, a processing-drawing part to process the body parts, and an image synthesizer to create a synthesized image for display, while preserving privacy by not processing the face.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If blur processing is performed with respect to the entire captured image or body part including face for privacy protection, then privacy protection is improved, but the ability to grasp the situation of the watched person deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the captured image into distinct regions: face region and body region. Different processing methods are applied to each region - the face region undergoes blur processing for privacy protection, while the body region maintains clarity for situational awareness. This segmentation allows simultaneous achievement of privacy protection and situation monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality levels of image processing to different parts of the image. The face portion receives high-level blur processing (strong privacy protection), while the body portion receives no blur processing or minimal processing (maintained situational awareness). This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by optimizing each region for its specific purpose.
2Reliability
If blur processing is performed when a person is moving, then privacy protection is maintained, but accurate grasping of the person's situation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image processing based on anatomical regions rather than motion detection. The face region is consistently blurred regardless of motion, while the body region remains clear. This allows accurate recognition of body actions and movements without compromising privacy through facial blur.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying blur to the face only when motion is detected (which would blur the face during normal activity too), the patent inverts the approach by applying blur to the face continuously but only applying motion-based processing to the body region. This inversion allows motion analysis to proceed on the body while the face remains consistently protected.
3Reliability
If image output is controlled after detecting presence or absence of action with a sensor, then privacy protection is considered, but predetermined time is taken up to image output
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary classification of the captured image into face and body regions, and applies the processing-drawing process to the body region in advance. When a watching person initiates monitoring, the synthesized image is already prepared or can be quickly generated, eliminating the need to wait for action detection. This preliminary processing reduces response time while maintaining privacy protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A watching monitoring apparatus includes a monitoring camera and a home server, and monitors a watching space in which a watched person exists. The monitoring camera images the watching space. The home server includes a person detector that detects a person from a captured image, and classifies the detected person into a face part and a body part, a processing-drawing part that performs a processing-drawing process with respect to the body part except for the face part, an image synthesizer that creates a synthesized image of an image subjected to the processing-drawing process and the captured image, and a network part through which the synthesized image is transmitted to a display terminal of a watching person. When the detected person has not been registered in face information registration data in which face information of the watched person is registered, the processing-drawing process is not performed with respect to the person.