Data-update apparatus, reproduction apparatus, data-addition apparatus, data-detection apparatus and data-removal apparatus

• US 6,696,989 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2002
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Katayama, Taro, Ogawa, Tomoki, Horii, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): YOUNG, BRIAN K
• Application Number:
  US10/238,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20030063570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• Field of Search: 341/51, 341/50, 704/230
• US Class Current: 341/51
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10601 surround sound signal

Abstract

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for embedding data in a signal or for updating data that has been embedded. The object of the invention is to provide a data-update apparatus that together with greatly reducing the amount of operation required for adding, detecting and removing data (electronic watermark) in a plurality of signals, makes it rigid copyright protection possible. In order to accomplish this objective, the present invention provides a data-update apparatus comprising: a channel-selection means that selects and outputs part of the channels of the input signal; a detection means that detects the electronic watermark that is embedded in the signal of the channel selected by the channel-selection means; a judgment means, to which the data detected by the detection means is input, and that determines whether or not to update the electronic watermark; an update-signal-generation means, to which an update instruction is input from the judgment means and to which the signal of the channel selected by the channel-selection means is input, and that outputs an update signal for updating the detected data; and a channel-selection-addition means that selects part of the channels of the input signal and adds the update signal to the selected channels.

Claims

1. A data-update apparatus that updates data embedded in an input signal having a plurality of channels and comprising:

a channel-selection means that selects one or more channels from said input signal and outputs that channel signal;

a detection means that detects data that are embedded in said channel signal;

a judgment means to which said data are input and that determines whether or not to update said data;

an update-signal-generation means that generates an update signal for updating said data based on an update instruction from said judgment means and said channel signal; and

a channel-selection-addition means that adds said update signal to said channel signal.

2. The data-update apparatus of claim 1 wherein said channel-selection means switches the selection of two or more channels at set time intervals.

3. The data-update apparatus of claim 2 wherein the detection interval for detecting data embedded in said input signal by said detection means is the number of channels times longer than said set time interval.

4. The data-update apparatus of claim 1 wherein a channel-control means compares the amplitude levels of each channel signal in said input signal and specifies the channel with the highest amplitude level.

5. The data-update apparatus of claim 4 wherein said channel-control means specifies a channel based on a log of selected channels.

6. The data-update apparatus of claim 1 wherein said channel-selection-addition means also adds said update signal to channels not selected by said channel-selection means.

7. The data-update apparatus of claim 1 wherein channel data specifying the channel to be selected are input to said channel-selection means, and said channel-selection means outputs a channel signal based on said channel data.

8. The data-update apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a recording means that correlates and records said input signal and channel signal selected by said channel-selection means.

9. A reproduction apparatus comprising:

a reproduction means that reproduces the input signal embedded with data and outputs that signal as an output signal;

a channel-selection means to which said output signal is input, and which selects one or more channels and outputs that channel signal together with the selected channel as channel data;

a detection means that detects and outputs data embedded in said channel signal; and

a transmission means that transmits the channel data output by said channel-selection means and data output by said detection means to a specified terminal.

10. A reproduction apparatus comprising:

a reproduction means that reproduces an input signal having a plurality of channels;

a channel-selection means that selects a channel from said input signal and from channel data that indicates whether data embedded in the input signal have been updated, for which said data have not been updated;

an update-signal-generation means that detects data embedded in said channel signal and outputs an updated signal for updating said data; and

a channel-selection-addition means that adds said update signal to the output signal from said reproduction means.

11. A data-update method of updating data embedded in an input signal having a plurality of channels and comprising:

a channel-selection step that selects one or more channels from said input signal and outputs that channel signal;

a detection step that detects data that are embedded in said channel signal;

a judgment step that determines whether or not to update said data based on said data;

an update-signal-generation step that generates an update signal for updating said data based on the judgment result of said judgment step and said channel signal; and

a channel-selection-addition step that adds said update signal to said channel signal.

12. A program that is executed by a computer to update data embedded in an input signal having a plurality of channels and comprising:

a channel-selection step that selects one or more channels from said input signal and outputs that channel signal;

a detection step that detects data that are embedded in said channel signal;

a judgment step that determines whether or not to update said data based on said data;

an update-signal-generation step that generates an update signal for updating said data based on the judgment result of said judgment step and said channel signal; and

a channel-selection-addition step that adds said update signal to said channel signal.

13. A data-addition apparatus that adds a specified addition signal to each of a plurality of audio signals and comprising:

a first operation means that outputs an addition-target signal that includes all of said input audio signals, and a separation signal that includes at least two of said audio signals;

a signal-addition means that adds said specified addition signal to said addition-target signal and outputs the result as an addition-completed signal; and

a second operation means that separates the audio signal to which said addition signal has been added based on said addition-completed signal and said separation signal.

14. The data-addition apparatus of claim 13 wherein said addition-target signal is a signal that is the sum of all said input audio signals added together.

15. A data-detection apparatus that detects a specified addition signal in each of the audio signals to which said addition signal was added and comprising:

a third operation means that outputs a detection-target signal that includes all of said input audio signals; and

a signal-detection means that detects said specified addition signal from said detection-target signal.

16. A data-removal apparatus that removes said addition signal from each of said audio signals to which the specified addition signal was added and comprising:

a fourth operation means that outputs a removal-target signal that includes all of said input audio signals, and a separation signal that includes at least two audio signals of said audio signals;

a signal-detection means that detects said specified addition signal from said removal-target signal;

a signal-removal means that removes the addition signal that was detected by said signal-detection means from said removal-target signal and outputs the results as a removal-completed signal; and

a fifth operation means that separates the audio signals, from which said addition signal was removed, based on said removal-completed signal and said separation signal.

17. A data-update apparatus that updates a first addition signal that is added to each of a plurality of audio signals and comprising:

a sixth operation means that outputs a detection-target signal that includes all of said input audio signals, and a separation signal that includes at least two audio signals of said audio signals;

a signal-detection means that detects said first addition signal from said detection-target signal;

a signal-addition means that adds a second addition signal to said detection-target signal based on said first addition signal that was detected by said signal-detection means, and outputs the result as an addition-completed signal; and

a seventh operation means that separates each of said audio signals, to which said first addition signal and said second addition signal were added, based on said addition-completed signal and said separation signal.

18. The data-update apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a signal-removal means that removes said first addition signal, which was detected by said signal-detection means from said detection-target signal that was output by said sixth operation means, and outputs the results as a removal-completed signal;

wherein

said signal-addition means adds said second addition signal to said removal-completed signal and outputs the result as an addition-completed signal; and

wherein

said seventh operation means separates each of said audio signals, to which said second addition signal was added, based on said addition-completed signal and said separation signal.