METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR ENCODING AND DECODING A SIGNAL ON A VIEWABLE PORTION OF A VIDEO

• US 20070153025A1
• Filed: 12/15/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Curators of the University of Missouri (University of Missouri)
• Original Assignee: Curators of the University of Missouri (University of Missouri)
• Inventors: Sequeira, Gerard, Mitchell, Owen, Drewniak, James, Tichenor, Jerry, Agarwal, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US11/611,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20070153025A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits
• 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 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention provide a system that is operable to encode a signal within a video by increasing a brightness of a first portion of a first frame by less than about five percent, decreasing a brightness of a second portion of the first frame by less than about five percent, and storing the first frame as a portion of the video. The encoded signal may be decoded by determining the difference in the brightness of the first portion from the brightness of the second portion. Such a configuration allows signals to be encoded on viewable portions of videos for use on any type of display while being generally imperceptible to viewers watching the videos.

Claims

1. A method of encoding a signal within a video including at least one frame, the method comprising:

increasing a brightness of a first portion of a first frame by less than about five percent;

decreasing a brightness of a second portion of the first frame by less than about five percent; and

storing the first frame as a portion of the video.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decreasing a brightness of a first portion of a second frame by less than about five percent;

increasing a brightness of a second portion of the second frame by less than about five percent; and

storing the second frame as a portion of the video.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first portion of the first frame and the first portion of the second frame each correspond to a left side of the frames and the second portion of the first frame and the second portion of the second frame each correspond to a right side of the frames.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein—

increasing the brightness of the first portion of the first frame and decreasing the brightness of the second portion of the first frame encodes a first binary value in the first frame, and

decreasing the brightness of the first portion of the second frame and increasing the brightness of the second portion of the second frame encodes a second binary value in the second frame.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the first frame includes a plurality of pixels, each of the pixels having RGB coordinates, the brightness of the first portion of the first frame being increased by increasing the RGB coordinates of at least one of the pixels.

6. The method of claim 5, further including selecting the position of the first portion of the first frame and the second portion of the first frame based on the original content of the first frame.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the RGB coordinates of at least one of the pixels are increased by adding a constant value thereto.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the RGB coordinates of at least one of the pixels are increased by adding a variable value thereto, the variable value corresponding to the brightness of the pixels.

9. The method of claim 1, further including applying a window function to at least a portion of the first portion of the first frame.

10. The method of claim 1, further including transmitting the first frame for display on a television.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the brightness of the first portion of the first frame is increased by less than about two percent and the brightness of the second portion of the first frame is decreased by less than about two percent.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the first frame includes a plurality of pixels and the brightness of the first frame portion is increased by changing at least one color portion of at least one of the pixels.

13. A method of decoding a signal within a video including at least one frame, the method comprising:

detecting a brightness of a first portion of a first frame;

detecting a brightness of a second portion of the first frame;

determining a difference in the brightness of the first portion from the brightness of the second portion; and

based upon the difference in brightness, decoding at least a portion of the signal within the first frame.

14. The method of claim 13, further including—

detecting a brightness of a first portion of a second frame;

detecting a brightness of a second portion of the second frame;

determining a difference in the brightness of the first portion of the second frame from the brightness of the second portion of the second frame; and

based upon the difference in brightness, decoding at least a portion of the signal within the second frame.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first portion of the first frame and the first portion of the second frame each correspond to a left side of the frames and the second portion of the first frame and the second portion of the second frame each correspond to a right side of the frames.

16. The method of claim 14, further including comparing the determined difference in brightness of the first portion of the second frame and the second portion of the second frame with the determined difference in brightness of the first portion of the first frame and the second portion of the first frame and decoding at least a portion of the signal based on the comparison.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein—

a first binary value is decoded when the brightness of the first portion of the first frame is greater than the brightness of the second portion of the first frame, and

a second binary value is decoded when the brightness of the first portion of the first frame is less than the brightness of the second portion of the first frame.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the video is displayed on a television and the brightness of the portions is detected by using at least one photodiode oriented towards the television.

19. An apparatus for decoding a signal within a video including at least one frame displayed on a television, the apparatus comprising:

a first photodiode operable to be oriented towards a first portion of the television to detect a brightness of a first portion of a first frame;

a second photodiode operable to be oriented towards a second portion of the television to detect a brightness of a second portion of the first frame; and

circuitry operable to determine the difference in the brightness of the first portion from the brightness of the second portion and, based upon the difference in brightness, decode at least a portion of the signal within the first frame.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the circuitry is further operable to—

detect a brightness of a first portion of a second frame,

detect a brightness of a second portion of the second frame,

determine a difference in the brightness of the first portion of the second frame from the brightness of the second portion of the second frame, and

based upon the difference in brightness, decode at least a portion of the signal within the second frame.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein—

the circuitry decodes a first binary value when the brightness of the first portion of the first frame is greater than the brightness of the second portion of the first frame, and

the circuitry decodes a second binary value when the brightness of the first portion of the first frame is less than the brightness of the second portion of the first frame.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the circuitry includes an operational amplifier.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, further including a field-of-view cone coupled with each photodiode to facilitate orientation of the photodiodes.

24. A method of decoding a signal within a video including a plurality of frames, the method comprising:

detecting a brightness of at least a portion of a first frame;

detecting a brightness of at least a portion of a second frame;

determining a difference in the brightness of the first frame from the brightness of the second frame; and

based upon the difference in brightness, decoding at least a portion of the signal.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein—

a first binary value is decoded when the brightness of the first frame is greater than the brightness of the second frame, and

a second binary value is decoded when the brightness of the first frame is less than the brightness of the second frame.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the video is displayed on a television and the brightness of the frames is detected by using at least one photodiode oriented towards the television.