Broadcasting signal receiving system

• US 20060242662A1
• Filed: 11/22/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sawanaka, Tomohiko, Masaki, Yasuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,589,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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 5/58 in dependence upon ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A broadcasting signal receiving system includes: an obtaining part for obtaining program information of a receiving program; a broadcasting signal receiving part for receiving a broadcasting signal to obtain a video signal and an audio signal or a recorded image reproducing part for reproducing a previously recorded program to obtain a video signal and an audio signal; an image pick-up part for recording an image of a viewer; a certifying part for comparing the image with the previously registered image of a face of an individual to certify the viewing individual; an illumination intensity detecting part for detecting the brightness of a viewing space; and a viewing improvement control part for controlling the improvement of viewing on the basis of the certified result by the certifying part, a kind of the receiving program and the illumination intensity of the viewing space.

Claims

1. A broadcasting signal receiving system comprising:

an obtaining part for obtaining program information of a receiving program;

a broadcasting signal receiving part for receiving a broadcasting signal to obtain a video signal and an audio signal or a recorded image reproducing part for reproducing a previously recorded program to obtain a video signal and an audio signal;

an image pick-up part for recording an image of a viewer;

a certifying part for comparing the image of the face of the viewer recorded by the image pick-up part with the previously registered image of a face of an individual to certify the viewing individual;

an illumination intensity detecting part for detecting the brightness of a viewing space;

a control signal transmitting part for transmitting a control signal for controlling the illumination intensity to an illuminating device disposed in the viewing space; and

a viewing improvement control part for controlling the improvement of viewing on the basis of the certified result by the certifying part, a kind of the receiving program based on the program information and the illumination intensity of the viewing space by the illumination intensity detecting part, wherein when the certified result by the certifying part designates a preset child, the kind of the receiving program or the kind of a reproduced program is an animation program and the illumination intensity of the viewing space detected on the basis of the recorded image is not higher than a preset illumination level, the viewing improvement control part controls a warning process to be performed for displaying a message to make the illumination of a room brighter on a monitor screen and the control signal to be transmitted to the illuminating device so as to raise the illumination intensity of the illuminating device to the preset illumination level, and when a sound volume exceeds a preset sound volume level, the viewing improvement control part controls the sound volume to be lowered to the preset sound volume level and a message for making the illumination of the room brighter to be transmitted to a portable telephone through a communication line.

2. A broadcasting signal receiving system comprising:

an obtaining part for obtaining program information of a receiving program;

a broadcasting signal receiving part for receiving a broadcasting signal to obtain a video signal and an audio signal or a recorded image reproducing part for reproducing a previously recorded program to obtain a video signal and an audio signal;

an image pick-up part for recording an image of a viewer;

a certifying part for comparing the image of the face of the viewer recorded by the image pick-up part with the previously registered image of a face of an individual to certify the viewing individual;

an illumination intensity detecting part for detecting the brightness of a viewing space; and

a viewing improvement control part for controlling the improvement of viewing on the basis of the certified result by the certifying part, a kind of the receiving program based on the program information or a kind of a reproduced program and the illumination intensity of the viewing space by the illumination intensity detecting part.

3. A broadcasting signal receiving system according to claim 2, wherein

the image pick-up part serves also as the illumination intensity detecting part.

4. A broadcasting signal receiving system according to claim 2, wherein

when the certified result by the certifying part designates a preset child, the kind of the receiving program or the kind of the reproduced program is an animation program and the illumination intensity of the viewing space detected by the illumination intensity detecting part is not higher than a preset illumination level, the viewing improvement control part performs a control of the improvement of viewing.

5. A broadcasting signal receiving system according to claim 2, wherein

the control of the improvement of viewing includes a warning process for displaying a message to make the illumination of a room brighter on a monitor screen.

6. A broadcasting signal receiving system according to claim 4, further comprising

a control signal transmitting part for transmitting a control signal for controlling the illumination intensity to an illuminating device disposed in the viewing space, wherein

as the control of the improvement of viewing, when the illumination intensity of the illuminating device is not higher than a preset illumination level, the viewing improvement control part transmits the control signal to the illuminating device so as to raise the illumination intensity of the illuminating device to the preset illumination level.

7. A broadcasting signal receiving system according to claim 6, wherein

as the control of the improvement of viewing, when a sound volume exceeds a preset sound volume level, the viewing improvement control part controls the sound volume to be lowered to the preset sound volume level.

8. A broadcasting signal receiving system according to claim 4, further comprising

a communication part for performing a unidirectional communication or a bi-directional communication with other electronic devices through a communication line, wherein

as the control of the improvement of viewing, the viewing improvement control part transmits a message for making the illumination of the room brighter to other electronic devices through the communication line.

9. A broadcasting signal receiving system according to claim 8, wherein

other electronic devices include a personal computer, a portable telephone, a PDA or a television receiver disposed in other room of a building.