INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20100169905A1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshigahara, Takayuki, Fukuchi, Masaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,179,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a sight line detecting unit configured to detect a sight line of a viewer who is viewing content data and output sight line information which is a result of the detection, a viewing condition estimating unit configured to estimate a viewing condition of the viewer based on the output sight line information and visual attention information relating to the content data, and a content suggesting unit configured to make various suggestions with respect to the content data for the viewer based on the estimated viewing condition.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a sight line detecting means arranged to detect a sight line of a viewer who is viewing content data and output sight line information which is a result of the detection;

a viewing condition estimating means arranged to estimate a viewing condition of the viewer based on the output sight line information and visual attention information relating to the content data; and

a content suggesting means arranged to make various suggestions with respect to the content data for the viewer based on the estimated viewing condition.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the viewing condition estimating means further estimates a viewing state based on a result of the viewing condition estimation, and

wherein the content suggesting means makes various suggestions with respect to the content data based on the estimated viewing state.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein a viewing condition variable indicating the viewing condition of the viewer is defined and at least one predetermined type of viewing state is associated with each of at least two possible ranges of the viewing condition variable, and

wherein the viewing condition estimating means estimates the viewing condition by calculating a value of the viewing condition variable, and estimates the viewing state by determining a viewing state of a type associated with a range to which the value of the viewing condition variable belongs of the at least two possible ranges.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein at least one predetermined type of suggested action is associated with each of at least two types of the viewing states, and

wherein the content suggesting means makes a suggestion for the viewer based on a suggested action of a type associated with the viewing state of a type determined through the viewing condition estimating means.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein a score which is variable based on a magnitude of the visual attention information about a region where a sight line of the viewer stays, and

wherein the viewing condition estimating means calculates the score based on the sight line information output from the sight line detecting means immediately before and visual attention information relating to the content data in a cycle of a predetermined time, and calculates a value of the viewing condition variable based on the score obtained on each of at least one occasion, which is obtained by a current period.

6. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

detecting a sight line of a viewer who is viewing content data and outputting sight line information which is a result of the detection;

estimating a viewing condition of the viewer based on the output sight line information and visual attention information relating to the content data; and

making various suggestions with respect to the content data for the viewer based on the estimated viewing condition.

7. A program making a computer execute control processing including the steps of:

detecting a sight line of a viewer who is viewing content data and outputting sight line information which is a result of the detection;

estimating a viewing condition of the viewer based on the output sight line information and visual attention information relating to the content data; and

making various suggestions with respect to the content data for the viewer based on the estimated viewing condition.

8. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a sight line detecting unit configured to detect a sight line of a viewer who is viewing content data and output sight line information which is a result of the detection;

a viewing condition estimating unit configured to estimate a viewing condition of the viewer based on the output sight line information and visual attention information relating to the content data; and

a content suggesting unit configured to make various suggestions with respect to the content data for the viewer based on the estimated viewing condition.