Enhanced privacy for provision of computer vision

• US 9,213,863 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2014
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Bar-On, David, Strongin, Geoffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): LEMMA, SAMSON B
• Application Number:
  US14/518,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20150040242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 method for providing computer vision with enhanced privacy, comprising:

as part of providing computer vision by a computing device,

calculating, by the computing device, a plurality of depth values for a plurality of corresponding pixels of an image from an image source associated with providing computer vision on the computing device;

determining, by the computing device, whether the depth values are greater than a threshold; and

on determination that one or more depth values are greater that the threshold, generating in response, by the computing device, one or more disable indicators for one or more pixels corresponding to the one or more depth values identified as greater than the threshold;

wherein the computing devices uses the one or more disable indictors to blank out the one or more pixels to provide enhanced privacy for the computer vision.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying, by the computing device, the one or more disable indicators to the image to blank out the one or more corresponding pixels.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the depth values form a depth value map, and the disable indicators comprise disable bits, and wherein the method further comprises applying, by the computing device, the one or more disable bits to the depth value map to blank out the one or more depth values that are greater than the threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the depth values form a depth value map, and the method further comprises applying, by the computing device, the one or more disable indicators to the image map to blank out the one or more depth values that are greater than the threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a visual indicator, by the computing device, when no disable indicator is being outputted as a result of no depth value having been identified as greater than the threshold, and no object is detected among pixels with depth values that do not exceed the threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, by the computing device, the threshold and providing the threshold for said determining.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising accepting, by the computing device, a setting for the threshold.

8. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions, wherein the instructions, in response to execution of the instructions by a computing apparatus, cause the computing apparatus to provide computer vision, wherein to provide computer vision includes to calculate a plurality of depth values for a plurality of corresponding pixels of an image from an image source associated with provision of computer vision on the computing apparatus, determine whether the depth values are greater than a threshold, and on determination that one or more depth values are greater that the threshold, generate in response one or more disable indicators for one or more pixels corresponding to the one or more depth values identified as greater than the threshold, wherein the computing device uses the one or more disable indicators to blank out the one or more pixels to provide enhancedprivacy for the computer vision.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions, in response to execution of the instructions by the computing apparatus, further cause the computing apparatus to apply the one or more disable indicators to the image to blank out the one or more corresponding pixels.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the depth values form a depth value map, and the disable indicators comprise disable bits, and wherein the instructions, in response to execution of the instructions by the computing apparatus, further cause the computing apparatus to apply the one or more disable bits to the depth value map to blank out the one or more depth values that are greater than the threshold.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the depth values form a depth value map, and the instructions, in response to execution of the instructions by the computing apparatus, further cause the computing apparatus to apply the one or more disable indicators to the depth value map to blank out the one or more depth values that are greater than the threshold.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions, in response to execution of the instructions by the computing apparatus, further cause the computing apparatus to enable a visual indicator, when no disable indicator is being outputted as a result of no depth value having been identified as greater than the threshold, and no object is detected among pixels with depth values that are less than the threshold.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions, in response to execution of the instructions by the computing apparatus, further cause the computing apparatus to store the threshold and provide the threshold for said determine.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions, in response to execution of the instructions by the computing apparatus, further cause the computing apparatus to accept a setting for the threshold.

15. An apparatus, for providing computer vision with enhanced privacy, comprising:

means for providing computer vision that includes,

means for receiving an image from an image source associated with provision of computer vision on the apparatus, the image having a plurality of pixels, calculating depth values for the pixels, and outputting the depth values as a depth value map of the image; and

means for receiving the depth value map, processing 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, generating in response one or more disable indicators for one or more pixels corresponding to the one or more depth values identified as greater than the threshold;

wherein the apparatus uses the one or more disable indicators to blank out the one or more pixels to provide enhanced privacy for the computer vision.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising means for receiving the image and the one or more disable indicators, and applying the one or more disable indicators to the image to blank out the pixels with depth values greater than the threshold, to provide enhanced privacy for the computer vision.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising means for receiving the depth value map and the one or more disable indicators, and applying the one or more disable indicators to the depth value map to blank out the depth values that are greater than the threshold.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising means for visually indicating to a user of the apparatus a privacy condition of the apparatus in association with the provision of computer vision.