METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING TV OR OTHER MEDIA DELIVERY DEVICE VIEWER'S ATTENTION

• US 20140047464A1
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Arshavski, Yuri, Shaked, Yaniv, Lev, Tsvi Chaim, Park, Tae-Suh, Makaranz, Dan
• Application Number:
  US13/572,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20140047464A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4396 by muting the audio signal

Abstract

A TV system with camera or any other media delivery device with camera comprising a screen and related electronics, comprises in combination: 1) Human detector suitable to determine whether one or more viewers are located in front of the screen; 2) A viewer'"'"'s body pose tracker suitable to analyze a body pose and to determine whether a change has occurred in said pose; 3) An object detector suitable to detect the presence of a plurality of objects in the environment of the screen; 4) An object tracker suitable to detect a change in location of one or more objects; and 5) Logic circuitry suitable to obtain inputs from one or more detectors and trackers and to determine whether a specified condition has been reached on the basis of said inputs.

Claims

1. A media delivery system equipped with a camera comprising a screen and related electronics, further comprising in combination:

a) human detector adapted to determine whether one or more viewers are located in front of the screen;

b) a viewer'"'"'s body pose tracker suitable to analyze a body pose and to determine whether a change has occurred in said pose by detecting and recognizing of body language features;

c) an object detector adapted to;

c.1) detect the presence of a plurality of objects in the environment of the screen;

c.2) recognize typical objects in said environment, and of the interactions between a viewer and said objects;

d) an object tracker adapted to;

d.1) track a viewer'"'"'s attention by detecting a change in location of one or more objects combined with external environmental features;

d.2) measure the position of objects and to track them, to thereby recognize the viewer'"'"'s pose; and

e) logic circuitry adapted to;

e.1) obtain inputs from one or more detectors and trackers;

e.2) perform interpretation of the viewer'"'"'s pose by analyzing said body language features in conjunction with said objects, using both unsupervised and semi-supervised learning methods of recognition;

e.3) determine whether a specified condition has been reached on the basis of said inputs; and

e.4) perform desired actions in accordance to changes in said behavior.

2. The media delivery system according to claim 1, further comprising circuitry suitable to perform one or more activities as a result of the output of the logic circuitry.

3. The media delivery system according to claim 2, wherein the one or more activities are selected from volume change, brightness change, screen switching on or off and TV set switching on or off.

4. The media delivery system according to claim 2, wherein the one or more activities comprise activating external systems.

5. The media delivery system according to claim 4, wherein the external system is a communication system.

6. The media delivery system according to claim 5, wherein the communication system is actuated over a network.

7. The media delivery system according to claim 5, wherein the communication system is configured to transmit a message selected from among SMS, phone message, email and Instant Messenger message.

8. The media delivery system according to claim 1, which comprises a TV set.

9. A method for operating a media delivery system comprising a screen and related electronics, comprising:

a) providing a human detector suitable to determine whether one or more viewers are located in front of the screen;

b) providing a viewer'"'"'s body pose tracker suitable to analyze a body pose and to determine whether a change has occurred in said pose by detecting and recognizing of body language features;

c) providing an object detector suitable to recognize objects in said environment and to detect the presence of a plurality of objects in the environment of the screen and of the interactions between a viewer and said objects;

d) providing an object tracker suitable to track a viewer'"'"'s attention by detecting a change in location of one or more objects, combined with external environmental features, and to measure the position of objects and to track them, to thereby recognize the viewer'"'"'s pose;

e) providing logic circuitry suitable to obtain inputs from one or more detectors and trackers and to determine whether a specified condition has been reached on the basis of said inputs and causing inputs from the detectors and trackers to be input thereto;

f) performing, by said logic circuitry, interpretation of the viewer'"'"'s pose by analyzing said body language features in conjunction with said objects, using both unsupervised and semi-supervised learning methods of recognition; and

g) changing the operating status of the media delivery system according to the result of a determination of the logic circuitry as to whether a certain condition exists in the environment of the viewer, including the viewer'"'"'s pose or behavior.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the operating status is selected from volume change, brightness change, and screen switching on or off.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising activating external systems.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the external system is a communication system.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the communication system is actuated over a network.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the communication system is configured to transmit a message selected from among SMS, phone message, email and Instant Messenger message.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the media delivery system comprises a TV set.