Enhanced privacy for provision of computer vision

• US 8,914,894 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2012
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Bar-On, David, Strongin, Geoffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): LEMMA, SAMSON B
• Application Number:
  US13/624,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20140090074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses and storage medium associated with providing enhanced privacy during usage of computer vision are disclosed. In embodiments, an apparatus may include one or more privacy indicators to indicate one or more privacy conditions of the apparatus in association with provision of computer vision on the apparatus. The apparatus may further include a privacy engine coupled with the one or more privacy indicators, and configured to pre-process images from an image source of the apparatus associated with the provision of computer vision to the apparatus, to increase privacy for a user of the apparatus, and to control the one or more privacy indicators. In embodiments, the apparatus may include means for blanking out one or more pixels with depth values identified as greater than a threshold. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A computing apparatus, comprising:

one or more physical privacy indicators to visually indicate one or more privacy conditions of the computing apparatus in association with provision of computer vision by the computing apparatus, wherein the one or more physical privacy indicators externally complements the computer vision; and

a privacy engine coupled with the one or more physical privacy indicators, to pre-process images from an image source of the computing apparatus associated with provision of computer vision to the computing apparatus, to increase privacy for a user of the computing apparatus in association with the provision of computer vision by the computing apparatus, and to control the one or more physical privacy indicators;

wherein the privacy engine comprises;

a depth value calculation block to receive the image from the image source, the image having a plurality of pixels, calculate depth values for the pixels, and output the depth values as a depth value map of the image; and

a depth value analysis block coupled with the depth value calculation block to receive the depth value map, process the depth value map to identify depth values that are greater than a threshold, and on determination that one or more depth values are greater that the threshold, output in response one or more disable signals for use to blank out one or more pixels corresponding to the one or more depth values identified as greater than the threshold, to effectuate the increase in privacy.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a filter coupled with the depth value analysis block to receive the one or more disable signals, and apply the one or more disable signals to the image to blank out the pixels with depth values greater than the threshold, wherein the filter is to further receive the image.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the depth values form a depth value map, and the apparatus further comprises a filter coupled with the depth value analysis block to receive the one or more disable signals, and apply the one or more disable signals to the depth value map to blank out the depth values that are greater than the threshold, wherein the filter is further coupled with the depth value calculation block to receive the depth value map.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the image source, wherein the image source includes one or more cameras.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical privacy indicators include a physical visual indicator, and the privacy engine is further to enable the physical visual indicator when images are being captured and used for provision of computer vision.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical privacy indicators include a physical visual indicator, and the privacy engine is further to enable the physical visual indicator when images being captured and used for provision of computer vision are blank.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a one shot circuit coupled with the physical visual indicator to drive the physical visual indicator.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a storage medium to store the threshold and provide the threshold to the depth value analysis block, and a configuration mechanism coupled with the storage medium to facilitate configuration of the threshold.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a selected one of a smartphone, a computing tablet, an ultrabook, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a set-top box, a smart TV or a game console.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more physical privacy indicators comprises one or more light emitting diodes.