US 12,423,472 B2
Camera with privacy protection function and privacy protection method
Xiaoyu Ji, Zhejiang (CN); Wenjun Zhu, Zhejiang (CN); Wenyuan Xu, Zhejiang (CN); and Yushi Cheng, Zhejiang (CN)
Assigned to ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, Zhejiang (CN)
Appl. No. 18/579,843
Filed by ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, Zhejiang (CN)
PCT Filed Oct. 31, 2023, PCT No. PCT/CN2023/128008
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 16, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2024/017418, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 25, 2024.
Claims priority of application No. 202310196870.X (CN), filed on Mar. 3, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2025/0077703 A1, Mar. 6, 2025
Int. Cl. G06F 21/62 (2013.01)
CPC G06F 21/6245 (2013.01) 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A camera with a privacy protection function, comprising:
an image acquisition module, comprising a lens, a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, and an Image Signal Processor (ISP), and configured to perform image shooting;
a parameter storage module, comprising a Read-Only Memory (ROM), and configured to store a privacy protection algorithm and privacy protection parameters;
an access control module, comprising a Micro-Controller Unit (MCU), and configured to read the privacy protection parameters from the parameter storage module and send a shooting instruction to the image acquisition module, wherein the access control module shields access of an external device to any registers, memories, and storages inside the camera; and
an image post-processing module, comprising a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) or a Neural-Network Processing Unit (NPU), and configured to execute the privacy protection algorithm to perform privacy protection processing on a shot image, which is then transmitted to the access control module, and finally, transmitted to the external device,
wherein the camera only transmits image data that has been subjected to the privacy protection processing to the external device, and the privacy protection algorithm configured into a plurality of single modules or a multi-module combination is able to be simultaneously run in the camera.