Particular program detection device, method, and program

• US 20070154032A1
• Filed: 03/28/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawamura, Takashi, Misaki, Masayuki, Date, Toshihiko, Kuroyama, Kazuhiro, Ohkubo, Haruyo, Masaki, Meiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,014,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/94.100
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/78 Detection of presence or absence of voice signals switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10009 Improvement or modification of read or write signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00
• 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 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A particular program detection device is provided which can detect a particular program segment even in a program signal contaminated with noise by adaptively modifying a detection sensitivity for a scene change point. A noise level detecting section (12) detects a noise level of a program signal outputted from a signal input section (11). Based on the noise level detected by the noise level detecting section (12), a detection sensitivity determining section (13) determines a detection sensitivity which is used when a silent portion of the program signal is determined by a silent portion detecting section (14). In accordance with the detection sensitivity determined by the detection sensitivity determining section (13), the silent portion detecting section (14) detects a portion having a low audio level of the program signal as a silent portion. A particular program determining section (15) calculates a time difference between each silent portion detected by the silent portion detecting section (14) and a silent portion following this, and based on the calculated time difference, determines whether or not the silent portion is a particular program.

Claims

1. A particular program detection device for detecting a particular program segment in a program signal including at least audio data of a program, the device comprising:

a noise level detecting section operable to detect a noise level of the audio data included in the program signal;

a detection sensitivity determining section operable to determine a detection sensitivity which is used when a particular program is detected, based on the noise level detected by the noise level detecting section;

a silent portion detecting section operable to detect a silent portion of the audio data included in the program signal in accordance with the detection sensitivity determined by the detection sensitivity determining section; and

a particular program determining section operable to determine a time interval between each silent portion detected by the silent portion detecting section to determine a particular program segment.

2. The particular program detection device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a noise level learning section operable to learn association of the noise level detected by the noise level detecting section with a noise level which has been detected in the past; and

a noise level storing section operable to store a noise level learnt by the noise level learning section,

wherein the detection sensitivity determining section determines a detection sensitivity which is used when a particular program is detected, based on the learnt noise level stored in the noise level storing section.

3. The particular program detection device according to claim 2, further comprising a program information obtaining section operable to obtain program information from the program signal,

wherein the noise level storing section stores the noise level learnt by the noise level learning section in association with the program information obtained by the program information obtaining section, and

the detection sensitivity determining section obtains the learnt noise level associated with the program information from the noise level storing section in accordance with the program information obtained by the program information obtaining section, and determines the learnt noise level as a detection sensitivity which is used when a particular program is detected.

4. The particular program detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a broadcast reception section operable to receive broadcast waves carried in the program signal, and output the received program signal to the noise level detecting section and the silent portion detecting section.

5. The particular program detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a data read section operable to read the program signal from a storage device in which the program signal is recorded, and output the read program signal to the noise level detecting section and the silent portion detecting section.

6. The particular program detection device according to claim 1, wherein the silent portion detecting section subjects a minimum value of the audio data included in the program signal to a minimum hold process.

7. The particular program detection device according to claim 6, wherein, when a particular program is a CM, a time constant which causes a minimum hold value to increase is determined so that the minimum hold value is clipped to a predetermined value in 15 seconds which is a minimum time which can be taken by a CM.

8. A particular program detection method which is executed by a device for detecting a particular program segment in a program signal including at least audio data of a program, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a noise level of the audio data included in the program signal;

determining a detection sensitivity which is used when a particular program is detected, based on the detected noise level;

detecting a silent portion of the audio data included in the program signal in accordance with the determined detection sensitivity; and

determining a time interval between each detected silent portion to determine a particular program segment.

9. A computer recordable program which causes a particular program detection device to execute a method of detecting a particular program segment in a program signal including at least audio data of a program, the program causing the particular program detection device to execute the steps of:

detecting a noise level of the audio data included in the program signal;

determining a detection sensitivity which is used when a particular program is detected, based on the detected noise level;

detecting a silent portion of the audio data included in the program signal in accordance with the determined detection sensitivity; and

determining a time interval between each detected silent portion to determine a particular program segment.

10. An integrated circuit for use in a particular program detection device for detecting a particular program segment in a program signal including at least audio data of a program, wherein circuits functioning as the following sections are integrated:

a noise level detecting section operable to detect a noise level of the audio data included in the program signal;

a detection sensitivity determining section operable to determine a detection sensitivity which is used when a particular program is detected, based on the noise level detected by the noise level detecting section;

a silent portion detecting section operable to detect a silent portion of the audio data included in the program signal in accordance with the detection sensitivity determined by the detection sensitivity determining section; and

a particular program determining section operable to determine a time interval between each silent portion detected by the silent portion detecting section to determine a particular program segment.