SURVEILLANCE CAMERA THAT RESPECTS PRIVACY

• US 20150104103A1
• Filed: 10/16/2013
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Candelore, Brant
• Application Number:
  US14/055,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20150104103A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/195
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/178 estimating age from face image; using age information for improving recognition

Abstract

A surveillance camera obscures human features when people are present to preserve privacy.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A device comprising:

at least one computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor for;

receiving at least one clear image of a person;

determining whether a specific face is not recognized using the clear image at least in part by comparing the clear image to a database of specific faces;

responsive to a determination that a face is not recognized, obfuscating at least a portion of the clear image corresponding to the person'"'"'s face to render an obfuscated image that is not recognizable by a person viewing the obfuscated image.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the instructions are executable for determining whether the person is recognized using a face recognition algorithm.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the instructions are executable for determining whether the person is recognized by comparing the capture image to images in a remote database of images.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the instructions are executable for determining whether the person is recognized by comparing the captured image to images stored on the camera.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the instructions are executable for determining whether the person is recognized by comparing a portion of the clear image corresponding to the person'"'"'s profile to images in a database.

14. The camera device of claim 9, wherein the instructions are executable for determining whether the person is recognized by comparing a portion of the clear image corresponding to the back of the person'"'"'s head to images in a database.

15. The device of claim 9, wherein the instructions are executable for obfuscating the clear image by pixelating the clear image.

16. The device of claim 9, wherein the instructions are executable for obfuscating the clear image by masking the clear image.

17. The device of claim 9, wherein the instructions are executable for obfuscating the clear image by adding at least one facial feature to the clear image.

18. The device of claim 9, wherein the instructions are executable for encrypting the portion of the image corresponding to a person'"'"'s face.

19. The device of claim 9, comprising the at least one processor.

20. The device of claim 9, comprising an imaging device.

21. The device of claim 19, comprising an imaging device configured for being controlled by the at least one processor.