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SonyGranted patentCars & transportInterest 6/10

Sony patents car system that hides driver identity in video data

Sony describes a system for vehicles that processes video of passengers to create data about their movements without revealing who they are. The system encrypts this movement data and stores it separately from the raw video, which requires two different keys to unlock.

Why it mattersThis approach could help car manufacturers share useful driving data for safety or comfort features while keeping passenger identities private.

In the filing’s own words

Information processing that protects personal information is disclosed. In one example, an information processing apparatus includes a metadata generation unit that generates metadata from information indicating a state of an occupant riding in a mobile body, the information being obtained from a sensor provided in the mobile body. A first encryption unit encrypts the generated metadata, and a first recording unit stores the encrypted metadata.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An information processing apparatus comprising: a memory storing a program, and at least one processor configured to execute the program to perform operations comprising: generating metadata by electronically processing sensor-obtained information indicating a state of an occupant riding a mobile body, the metadata being generated by abstracting the information to include an action of the occupant and exclude personal information of the occupant; performing a first encryption that encrypts the generated metadata using a first common key associated with the occupant; and storing the metadata encrypted using the first common key; wherein the information includes at least a moving image of the occupant; wherein the metadata includes information for generation of at least one of a moving image of an avatar or a moving image of a skeleton model while omitting personal identifiers of the occupant; and performing a second encryption to encrypt the sensor-obtained information using both the first common key and a second common key supplied by the occupant, such that the encrypted sensor-obtained information is accessible only upon provision of both the first common key and the second common key.

Facts

Company
Sony (Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation)
Official title
Information processing that excludes personal information from metadata
Patent number
US12728869B2
Application number
18016008
Filed
Aug 23, 2021
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
20

Classified under

B60W 40/08 Operations & transportB60W 60/0015 Operations & transportB60W 60/0059 Operations & transportB60W 2540/043 Operations & transport
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.