초록 ▼

Apparatus for producing a self-authenticating visual image of a selected view, using a digital image forming means, such as a digital camera, together with a position determining system that provides position information, including location and/or angular orientation and/or time of observation at th

Apparatus for producing a self-authenticating visual image of a selected view, using a digital image forming means, such as a digital camera, together with a position determining system that provides position information, including location and/or angular orientation and/or time of observation at the time a digital image is formed. The digital image of the selected view is presented as an array of pixels with associated pixel values. The position information is incorporated in the digital image by altering selected pixel bit values for a selected authentication pattern P of pixels in a chosen subset CS of the pixel array; and this selected pattern may be determined using the position information. The position information may be encrypted, using an encryption key based on position information, and may be stored separate from, or as part of, the digital image. The authentication pattern is represented by an authentication key or indicium, a single number or an ordered sequence of numbers, that is transmitted with the modified digital image and incorporated position information. The authentication pattern P is preferably chosen so that any circle or other connected pixel region of diameter at least equal to a selected number D contains at least one pixel from the subset CS. The pixel array may be overlaid by a set of polygons, such as triangles, rectangles, parallelograms or hexagons, with at least one pixel from the subset CS in each polygon.

대표청구항 ▼

[ We claim:] [1.] Apparatus for producing a self-authenticating image, the apparatus comprising:a digital image camera that forms a digitally expressed image of a selected view as an array of pixel values, with each pixel value corresponding to a pixel in an array of pixels;position determination me

[ We claim:] [1.] Apparatus for producing a self-authenticating image, the apparatus comprising:a digital image camera that forms a digitally expressed image of a selected view as an array of pixel values, with each pixel value corresponding to a pixel in an array of pixels;position determination means, including a digital computer, for determining position information that includes at least one of the location of the digital camera, the angular orientation of the digital camera and the time at which the digital image camera forms a digitally expressed image; anddigital image storage means for receiving a digital image from the digital image camera, for receiving the position information from the position determination means, for combining the digital image with the position information to form a modified digital image in which each pixel value in a chosen subset CS of the array of pixel values is reformed as a modified array to contain a portion of the position information, for storing this modified array of pixel values, and for providing an authentication key that indicates the chosen subset CS of the array of pixels for which the pixel values have been modified to form the modified digital image.