Caption extraction device

• US 20040008277A1
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Toshihiro, Kawai, Naoki, Yamada, Mitsuho, Sakai, Tadahiro, Nagaishi, Michihiro
• Application Number:
  US10/437,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20040008277A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/468
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/635 Overlay text, e.g. embedded captions in a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/009 Teaching or communicating with deaf persons G09B21/04 takes precedence; deaf and dumb persons G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/033 Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4117 for generating hard copies of the content, e.g. printer, electronic paper interfaces to printers G06F3/12; printing data G06K15/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 : Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/025 : Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/035 : Circuits for the digital non-picture data signal, e.g. for slicing of the data signal, for regeneration of the data-clock signal, for error detection or correction of the data signal

Abstract

A caption extraction device is provided that is able to provide caption information itself embedded in video contents, and use this caption information to support the activities of physically challenged persons and so forth. A caption extraction device that extracts caption information from video signals is provided with a caption extraction unit which extracts superimposed captions from video signals actually broadcast or played back, a character recognition unit which recognizes character strings contained in the superimposed captions which have been extracted on a real-time basis, and outputs character information containing character codes corresponding to the recognized character strings, and a display unit which displays the character strings contained in the superimposed captions based on the character information.

Claims

1. A caption extraction device that extracts caption information from video signals, comprising:

a caption extraction unit which extracts superimposed captions from video signals actually broadcast or played back;

a character recognition unit which recognizes character strings contained in the extracted superimposed captions on a real-time basis, and outputs character information containing character codes corresponding to the recognized character strings; and

a display unit which displays the character strings based on the character information.

2. The caption extraction device according to claim 1, wherein all of the units are built in a single housing.

3. The caption extraction device according to claim 1, further comprising an input/output unit that is capable of connecting with at least one peripheral device or external communication environment.

4. The caption extraction device according to claim 1, further comprising a character processing unit that adds additional information for processing the recognized character strings by enlarging, deforming or coloring and so forth to the character information.

5. The caption extraction device according to claim 4, wherein the caption extraction device is a separate entity from a display device such as a television receiver that displays video contents according to video signals.

6. The caption extraction device according to claim 1, further comprising a voice synthesis unit that synthesizes a voice from character codes recognized by the character recognition unit and outputs synthesized voice signals.

7. The caption extraction device according to claim 6, further comprising a color information extraction unit that acquires color information of the superimposed captions,

wherein the voice synthesis unit synthesizes a voice so as to distinguish among men, women, adults, children or elderly persons and so forth either based on the color information of superimposed captions acquired with the color information extraction unit, or based on characters and symbols pre-inserted into superimposed captions which are recognized with the character recognition unit.

8. The caption extraction device according to claim 6, wherein the voice synthesis unit performs voice synthesis that gives characteristics similar to the characteristics of voices output when the superimposed captions are displayed.

9. The caption extraction device according to claim 3, wherein the character information is imparted to a Braille output unit to provide a Braille output.

10. The caption extraction device according to claim 9, wherein the Braille output unit is a Braille keyboard.

11. The caption extraction device according to claim 9, wherein the Braille output unit is a Braille printer.

12. The caption extraction device according to claim 3, further comprising a judgment unit that automatically determines scenes in which a specified keyword appears by searching for the specified keyword from among the character information.

13. The caption extraction device according to claim 12, further comprising a control unit that records the time of appearance of a scene in which the keyword was detected by the judgment unit onto a recording unit.

14. The caption extraction device according to claim 12, further comprising a control unit that records a scene in which the keyword has been detected by the judgment unit onto a picture recording unit.

15. The caption extraction device according to claim 3, further comprising a control unit that controls a unit for outputting character information in response to the detection of a predetermined character string.

16. The caption extraction device according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined character string is a program starting character string or program ending character string, and the control unit imparts a command to perform programmed recording or recording a program to a picture recording unit in accordance with the predetermined character string.

17. The caption extraction device according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined character string(is an address or postal number, and the control unit causes the address or the postal number to be printed out by a printing unit.

18. The caption extraction device according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined character string is a postal number, and when the postal number is detected, the control unit searches and acquires an address corresponding to the postal number in an address database that is correlated with postal numbers, and causes the acquired address to be printed out by a printing unit.

19. The caption extraction device according to claim 15, wherein the caption extraction device together with being connectable to the Internet, the predetermined character string is a uniform resource locator (URL), and when the URL is detected, the control unit accesses the web page corresponding to the URL and displays the contents of the web page on the display unit.

20. The caption extraction device according to claim 15, wherein the caption extraction device together with being connectable to a telephone, the predetermined character string is a telephone number, and when the telephone number is detected, the control unit calls the telephone of the telephone number.