Methods and apparatus to detect spillover in an audience monitoring system

• US 10,057,639 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2018
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Morris
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thang
• Application Number:
  US15/903,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20180184162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 179 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/808 using transducers spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/8083 determining direction of source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to detect spillover in an audience monitoring system are disclosed. An example apparatus includes means for sampling first and second audio signals. The first audio signal is received from a source by a first microphone. The second audio signal is associated with the source and received by a second microphone. The second microphone is separated from the first microphone by a first distance. The example apparatus includes means for calculating a time delay between receipt of the first and second audio signals. The example apparatus includes means for determining whether the time delay is within a threshold time difference. The example apparatus includes means for retaining media associated with the source when the time delay is within the threshold time difference. The means for retaining is to ignore the media associated with the source when the time delay exceeds the threshold time difference.

Claims

1. An apparatus to distinguish local media from spillover media, the apparatus comprising:

means for sampling first and second audio signals, the first audio signal received from a source by a first microphone, the second audio signal associated with the source and received by a second microphone, the second microphone being separated from the first microphone by a first distance;

first means for calculating a time delay between receipt of the first and second audio signals;

first means for determining whether the time delay is within a threshold time difference; and

means for retaining media associated with the source when the time delay is within the threshold time difference, the means for retaining to ignore the media associated with the source when the time delay exceeds the threshold time difference.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including:

second means for calculating first and second absolute value audio signals, the first audio signal corresponding to an absolute value of the first audio signal, the second absolute value audio signal corresponding to an absolute value of the second audio signal; and

means for applying first and second thresholds to the first and second audio signals, respectively.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, further including means for removing (1) ones of samples from the first audio signal with intensities below the first threshold and (2) ones of samples from the second audio signal with intensities below the second threshold.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the first and second thresholds are determined to cause a removal of a majority of the samples from the first and second audio signals.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including third means of calculating (1) a first moving average of the first audio signal and (2) a second moving average of second audio signal.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 5, further including:

first means for selecting first samples from the first audio signal;

second means for selecting second samples from the second audio signal; and

second means for determining a first correlation value between the first samples and the second samples.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein:

the second means for selecting to further select third samples from the second audio signal, the third samples being offset from the second samples by a first number of samples; and

the second means for determining to further determine a second correlation value between the first samples and the third samples, the time delay being determined using a greater one of the first correlation value and the second correlation value.

8. An apparatus to distinguish local media from spillover media content comprising:

means for sampling first and second audio signals, the first audio signal received from a source by a first microphone, the second audio signal associated with the source and received by a second microphone, the second microphone being separated from the first microphone by a first distance;

first means for calculating an origin direction of the source based on a time difference between receipt of the first and second audio signals;

first means for determining whether the origin direction is within a threshold angle; and

means for retaining media associated with the source when the origin direction is within the threshold angle, the means for retaining to ignore the media associated with the source when the origin direction exceeds the threshold angle.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, further including:

second means for calculating first and second absolute value audio signals, the first absolute value audio signal corresponding to an absolute value of the first audio signal, the second absolute value audio signal corresponding to an absolute value of the second audio signal; and

means for applying a first and second threshold to the first and second audio signals, respectively.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, further including means for removing (1) ones of samples from the first audio signal with intensities below the first threshold and (2) ones of samples from the second audio signal with intensities below the second threshold.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the first and second thresholds are determined to cause removal of a majority of the samples from the first and second audio signals.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, further including:

first means for selecting first samples from the first audio signal;

second means for selecting second samples from the second audio signal; and

second means for determining a first correlation value between the first samples and the second samples.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the source is a media device.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the threshold angle is based on a physical location of the source.

15. An apparatus to distinguish local media from spillover media, the apparatus comprising:

means for sampling first and second audio signals, the first audio signal associated with media received by a first microphone, the second audio signal associated with the media received by a second microphone, the second microphone being separated from the first microphone by a first distance;

first means for calculating a time delay between receipt of the first and second audio signals;

first means for determining whether the time delay is within a threshold time difference; and

means for identifying the media as local media when the time delay is within the threshold time difference, the means for identifying to identify the media as spillover media when the time delay exceeds the threshold time difference.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, further including:

second means for calculating a first and a second absolute values of the first audio signal and the second audio signal, respectively; and

means for applying first and second thresholds to the first and second audio signals, respectively.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 16, further including means for removing (1) ones of samples from the first audio signal with intensities below the first threshold and (2) ones of samples from the second audio signal with intensities below the second threshold, the first and second thresholds are determined such that removing samples from the first and second audio signals removes a majority of the samples from the first and second audio signals.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, further including:

third means for calculating a first and second moving averages of the first and second audio signals, respectively;

first means for selecting first samples from the first audio signal;

second means for selecting second samples from the second audio signal; and

second means for determining a first correlation value between the first samples and the second samples.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein (1) the first samples are equally spaced between a first point in time and a second point in time in the first audio signal and (2) the second samples are equally spaced between the first point in time and the second point in time in the second audio signal.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein:

the second means for selecting is to further select third samples from the second audio signal, the third samples being offset from the second samples by a first number of samples; and

the second means for determining to further determine a second correlation value between the first samples and the third samples, the time delay being determined using a greater one of the first correlation value and the second correlation value.