Presence Detector and Method for Estimating an Audience

• US 20100162285A1
• Filed: 03/08/2010
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Wavebreak Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Wavebreak Technologies, Ltd.
• Inventors: Cohen, Yossef Gerard, Elson, Eliahu
• Application Number:
  US12/719,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20100162285A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/63 for services of sales data processing systems or methods specially adapted for electronic commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• 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 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A presence detector for detecting and estimating an audience watching television comprising: one or more presence sensors adapted to capturing signals emitted by or reflected from the audience; and a translator connected to the one or more presence sensors adapted to translating output signals created by the one or more presence sensors to data signals representing the estimated number of people in the audience. Presence information captured is converted to television rating data and is very useful for pricing advertisements accurately.

Claims

1. A presence detector for detecting an audience, comprising:

a plurality of pyroelectric detectors for capturing thermal signals emitted by the audience;

a plurality of lenses, wherein each lens is positioned in front of a pyroelectric detector; and

one or more microprocessors connected to said plurality of pyroelectric sensors for translating thermal signals created by the plurality of pyroelectric detectors to data signals representing the estimated number of people in the audience.

2. A presence detector according to claim 1, wherein the line of sight of said plurality of pyroelectric detectors is directed toward the upper part of a person'"'"'s body, at a height of about one meter above the ground.

3. A presence detector according to claim 1, wherein the field of view of each pyroelectric detector is between 10 and 20 degrees.

4. A presence detector according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of lenses are diffractive lenses.

5. A presence detector according to claim 1, wherein each lens of said plurality of lenses has a diameter of about 8 mm.

6. A presence detector according to claim 1, wherein said audience is an audience watching television and the content displayed on the television is selected according to the estimated number of people detected in the audience.

7. A presence detector according to claim 6, wherein said content is an advertisement.

8. A presence detector according to claim 7, wherein said advertisement is priced according to the audience measured.

9. A presence detector according to claim 7, wherein an advertisement is displayed only if an audience is detected.

10. A presence detector according to claim 1, wherein said audience is an audience watching television and the television'"'"'s screen is turned off after no audience is detected for predetermined period of time.

11. A presence detector according to claim 1, wherein an air-conditioning unit turned off after no audience is detected for a predetermined period of time.

12. A presence detector according to claim 1, integrated into a television set, a set-top unit or any audio-visual unit.

13. A presence detector according to claim 1, wherein the presence detector comprises an electronic circuit that finds out if a television is turned on.

19. A method for detecting and estimating an audience watching television, comprising the steps of:

capturing signals emitted by or reflected from the audience by

a presence sensor according to claim 1; and

translating said captured signals to a data signals representing

the estimated number of people in the audience.

20. An advertising method for sending commercial advertisements to an audience in front of a television set, the method comprising the steps of:

(i) detecting the presence of at least one viewer in front of said television set via the presence detector of claim 1; and

(ii) sending an advertisement to said television set only when said at least one viewer is detected.

14. A presence detector for detecting and estimating an audience watching television, comprising:

one or more presence sensors adapted to capturing sound signals, infrared signals, electromagnetic signals or optical signals emitted by or reflected from the audience, wherein said one or more presence sensors comprise;

a pyroelectric detector, an ultrasonic transceiver, a thermopile sensor, an imaging camera, an imaging camera with a VMD algorithm, an imaging camera with a face detection algorithm, a photodiode, IR receiver, or an electro-optic detector coupled to a light source; and

a translator connected to said one or more presence sensors adapted to translating output signals created by the one or more presence sensors to data signals representing the estimated number of people in the audience.

15. A presence detector according to claim 14, wherein said photodiode or IR receiver detects signals emitted from any remote control operated by the audience.

16. A presence detector according to claim 14 further comprising:

a slit;

a filter; and

a rotating motor.

17. A presence detector according to claim 16, further comprising a mirror wherein said mirror rotates in order to scan a large field of view.

18. A presence detector according to claim 17, wherein said mirror is coated on both sides with high reflection coating for the mid-IR spectrum from 4 micron to 20 micron.