System and method for monitoring multi-projection theater

• US 10,452,060 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CJ CGV Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: CJ CGV Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Du Hui, Jang, Kyung Yoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/852,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20190187671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 348180
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/14 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/02 Electric testing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/07 Responding to the occurrence of a fault, e.g. fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4425 Monitoring of client processing errors or hardware failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3147 Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3194 including sensor feedback

Abstract

A system for monitoring a multi-projection theater includes a plurality of projection surfaces disposed within a single theater, a projection apparatus configured to project content onto the plurality of projection surfaces, a central control server configured to monitor inside of the theater, and an administrator terminal configured to receive the monitoring information of the central control server. The central control server transmits error information to the administrator terminal when an image information error of content projected onto the plurality of projection surfaces is generated.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a multi-projection theater, the method performed by a central control server comprising steps of:

monitoring a plurality of projection surfaces disposed within a theater; and

transmitting information of the theater according to the monitoring to an administrator terminal,

wherein the step of monitoring the plurality of projection surfaces comprises steps of;

receiving an image information of a projection surface among the plurality of projection surfaces, the projection surface comprising at least one projection region, and the image information being photographed by a photographing apparatus at predetermined time intervals; and

comparing average pixel values in the at least one projection region within the image information with a reference pixel value of the projection surface, and

wherein the step of receiving the image information of the projection surface comprises steps of;

comparing a point of time at which the projection surface is photographed with previously stored content playback information; and

if the point of time at which the projection surface is photographed is not a point of time at which content is projected onto an auxiliary projection surface of the plurality of projection surfaces, comparing an average pixel value of at least one projection region included in the auxiliary projection surface with the reference pixel value of the projection surface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

photographing the projection surface comprising the at least one projection region prior to the step of monitoring the projection surfaces and receiving image information of the projection surface;

identifying the at least one projection region based on the received image information; and

setting the reference pixel value of the projection surface based on the received image information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising

a step of detecting an error of a projection-related apparatus within the theater if the average pixel value within the at least one projection region is different from the reference pixel value,

wherein error information of the theater and a handling method according to the error information are transmitted to the administrator terminal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of detecting the error comprises steps of:

checking a network state of the projection-related apparatus;

checking state information of a projection apparatus corresponding to the at least one projection region; and

checking an error of a central control server managing content projected by the projection apparatus.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the error information comprises at least one of network error information of the projection-related apparatus, error information of the projection apparatus itself, and error information of software associated with the projection apparatus.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of identifying the at least one projection region comprises identifying the projection region using at least one of an RGB value of a content image projected onto the projection surface by a projection apparatus corresponding to the at least one projection region, a specific pattern within the image, and a shape of the image.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of controlling an operation of a projection-related apparatus provided within the theater based on a result of the monitoring.

8. A method of monitoring a multi-projection theater, the method performed by a central control server comprising steps of:

monitoring information of content projected onto a plurality of projection surfaces disposed within a theater; and

transmitting information of the theater according to the monitoring to an administrator terminal,

wherein the step of monitoring the content information comprises steps of;

receiving an information of the content projected onto the plurality of projection surfaces in real time from one or more projection apparatuses;

obtaining image information of the content projected by the one or more projection apparatuses by capturing the real-time received content; and

comparing an average pixel value of the obtained image information with previously stored reference pixel value, and

wherein the step of obtaining the image information of the content comprises steps of;

comparing a point of time at which the image information is obtained with previously stored content playback information; and

if the point of time at which the image information is obtained is not identical with a point of time at which the content is projected onto an auxiliary projection surface of the plurality of projection surfaces, comparing the average pixel value of the image information being projected with the previously stored reference pixel value.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reference pixel value is determined based on a gray scale value of the content projected by the one or more projection apparatuses.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising steps of:

detecting an error of a projection-related apparatus within the theater if the average pixel value of the obtained image information is different from the previously stored reference pixel value; and

transmitting error information of the theater and a handling method according to the error information to the administrator terminal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of detecting the error comprises steps of:

checking a network state of a projection apparatus;

checking state information of the projection apparatus; and

checking an error of a central control server managing content projected by the projection apparatus.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the error information comprises at least one of network error information of the projection apparatus, error information of the projection apparatus itself, and error information of software associated with the projection apparatus.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of receiving the information of the content in real time comprises communicating with the one or more projection apparatuses using a loop through port.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising a step of controlling an operation of a projection apparatus corresponding to the plurality of projection surfaces based on a result of the monitoring.

15. A system for monitoring a multi-projection theater, comprising:

a plurality of projection surfaces disposed within a single theater;

a projection apparatus configured to project content onto the plurality of projection surfaces;

a central control server configured to monitor inside of the theater; and

an administrator terminal configured to receive the monitoring information of the central control server,

wherein the central control server obtains image information of the content projected by the projection apparatus,

wherein the central control server compares an average pixel value of the obtained image information with previously stored reference pixel value,

wherein the central control server transmits error information to the administrator terminal when an image information error of content projected onto the plurality of projection surfaces is generated, and

wherein

the central control server compares a point of time at which the image information is obtained with previously stored content playback information, and

if the point of time at which the image information is obtained is not identical with a point of time at which the content is projected onto an auxiliary projection surface of the plurality of projection surfaces, the central control server compares the average pixel value with the previously stored reference pixel value.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

one or more projection apparatuses corresponding to the plurality of projection surfaces are provided, and

the system further comprises a photographing apparatus configured to photograph a projection surface comprising a projection region onto which the one or more projection apparatuses project content at predetermined time intervals,

the central control server receives content information projected by the projection apparatus through communication with the one or more projection apparatuses using a loop through method and monitors the received content information.