SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUTOMATICALLY VARYING PRIVACY SETTINGS OF WEARABLE CAMERA SYSTEMS

• US 20170237899A1
• Filed: 04/21/2017
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OrCam Technologies Ltd
• Original Assignee: OrCam Technologies Ltd
• Inventors: Wexler, Yonatan, Shashua, Amnon
• Granted Patent: US 10,372,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/10 Image acquisition document image scanning and transmission H04N1/00; control of digital cameras H04N23/60
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/44 Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/764 using classification, e.g. of video objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 : Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 : in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/35 : Categorising the entire scene, e.g. birthday party or wedding scene
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/41 : Higher-level, semantic clustering, classification or understanding of video scenes, e.g. detection, labelling or Markovian modelling of sport events or news items segmenting video sequences G06V20/49
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/113 : Recognition of static hand signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 : Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 : Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 : Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 : for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00342 : with a radio frequency tag transmitter or receiver storage of additional information in an RFID tag attached to an image bearing paper sheet H04N1/32138
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 : for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 : provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 : Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 : Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 : Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 : Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 : from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A wearable imaging apparatus is provided for capturing and processing images from an environment of a user. In one implementation, the wearable apparatus may be configured with a memory for storing privacy mode triggers and associated automatically variable privacy mode settings, and at least one processing device. The processing device may analyze the images captured by the wearable apparatus, and recognize the presence of at least one of the privacy mode triggers within the images. After recognizing the at least one trigger, the processing device may cause one or more adjustments to the wearable apparatus based on the privacy mode settings associated with the at least one trigger.

Claims

1. A wearable imaging apparatus having variable privacy settings, the wearable apparatus comprising:

a wearable image sensor configured to capture a plurality of images from an environment of a wearer of the wearable imaging apparatus;

a memory for storing privacy mode triggers and associated privacy mode settings;

at least one processing device programmed to;

analyze the plurality of images and recognize within one or more of the plurality of images a presence of at least one of the privacy mode triggers; and

automatically cause one or more adjustments to the wearable imaging apparatus based on the privacy mode settings associated with the at least one recognized privacy mode trigger.

2. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one recognized privacy mode trigger includes a presence in the one or more of the plurality of images features associated with a bathroom.

4. The wearable apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more adjustments include causing a suspension of storage of images captured by the wearable image sensor.

5. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a microphone, and wherein recognition of the presence of the at least one privacy mode trigger is based, at least in part, on analysis of audio information received via the microphone.

6. The wearable apparatus of claim 5, wherein the audio information includes an indicator of a confidential conversation.

7. The wearable apparatus of claim 5, wherein the audio information includes an indicator of a desire of an individual not to be recorded.

8. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter, and wherein the one or more adjustments include a limitation placed on a type of information transmitted by the wearable imaging apparatus.

9. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the recognized privacy mode trigger includes at least one of:

entry into a bathroom, exit from a bathroom, a child, nudity, a sign prohibiting recording, or a tag associated with a limitation on recording.

10. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more adjustments include enabling capturing of images but prohibiting storage of captured images.

11. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more adjustments include enabling capturing of images but prohibiting transmission of captured images.

12. The wearable apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more adjustments include enabling transmission of caricature or cartoon representations of captured images.

13. The wearable apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more adjustments include enabling transmission of low resolution, distorted, and/or blurred versions of captured images.

14. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more adjustments include suspending capture of audio information from a microphone.

15. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more adjustments include suspending transmission of audio information from a microphone.

16. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more adjustments include prohibiting posting of captured images on social media.

17. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one recognized privacy mode trigger includes an appearance in the one or more of the plurality of images of a representation of a recognized individual.

18. The wearable apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more adjustments include causing transmission to a paired device, via a wireless transmitter, information indicative of the identity of the individual, without transmitting to the paired device the one or more of the plurality of images, to thereby enable the paired device to execute a function relating to the individual without receiving the one or more of the plurality of images.

19. The wearable apparatus of claim 18, wherein the function includes displaying information relating to the individual.

20. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more adjustments include applying an image filter to images captured by the wearable image sensor.

21. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing device is further programmed to:

based on the presence of at least one of the privacy mode triggers, identify a first portion and a second portion of at least one image of the plurality of images;

process the first portion using a first processing scheme, and process the second portion using a second processing scheme.

3. The wearable apparatus of chum 2, wherein the one or more adjustments include causing a suspension of image capture by the wearable image sensor.

22. A method for adjusting variable privacy settings of a wearable imaging apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of images captured from an environment of a wearer of the wearable imaging apparatus;

analyzing the plurality of images and recognizing within one or more of the plurality of images a presence of at least one privacy mode trigger; and

automatically causing one or more adjustments to the wearable imaging apparatus based on a privacy mode setting associated with the at least one recognized privacy mode trigger.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the one or more adjustments include a limitation placed on a type of information transmitted by the wearable imaging apparatus.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the recognized privacy mode trigger includes at least one of:

entry into a bathroom, exit from a bathroom, a child, nudity, a sign prohibiting recording, or a tag associated with a limitation on recording.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the one or more adjustments include prohibiting posting of captured images on social media.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the one or more adjustments include applying an image filter to images captured by the wearable image sensor.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

based on the presence of at least one of the privacy mode triggers, identifying a first portion and a second portion, of at least one image of the plurality of images;

processing the first portion using a first processing scheme, and processing the second portion using a second processing scheme.

28. A software product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising data and computer implementable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 22.