Digital video reproducing apparatus for recognizing and reproducing a digital video content

• US 7,953,602 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2005
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iisaka, Atsushi, Hirai, Takuya, Yamashita, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wozniak; James S
• Assistant Examiner(s): He; Jialong
• Application Number:
  US11/666,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20080208576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,034 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/270.1, 704/275, 704/231, 704/251, 382/229, 382/321, 725/39, 725/57
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7844 using original textual content or text extracted from visual content or transcript of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

Abstract

Character information recognition means extracts, through a character recognition process, character information from a selection button included in an index image. Based on text data having been outputted from the character information recognition means, index dictionary creation means creates an index dictionary usable for a speech recognition process performed by speech recognition means. The speech recognition means performs the speech recognition process by using speech data retrieved through an ADC and the index dictionary stored in storage means. Based on a result of the speech recognition process performed by the speech recognition means, reproduction control means performs reproduction control of a chapter. Thus, a desired button can be selected by speech, from chapter selection buttons displayed on a chapter selection image of a DVD video.

Claims

1. A digital video reproducing apparatus for reproducing a digital video content comprising:

a character information recognition means for recognizing character information of image regions of a selection image included in a video signal of the digital video content and allowing selection of a reproducing position of the digital video content by speech;

a dictionary creation means for creating, using the character information in the digital video content, an index dictionary, the index dictionary allowing selection of the reproducing position of the digital video content by speech, the index dictionary associating the image regions of the selection image with the character information;

a speech recognition means for performing a speech recognition process by using the index dictionary having been created by the dictionary creation means;

a reproduction control means for performing, based on a result of speech recognition process performed by the speech recognition means, reproduction control of the digital video content;

a language determination means for determining whether the character information having been recognized by the character information recognition means is in Japanese;

a code addition means for, when the character information has not been recognized by the character information recognition means or when the character information having been recognized by the character information recognition means is not in English, adding a code to the reproducing position selection image in accordance with a predetermined rule; and

an index display means for displaying, on a display device, the reproducing position selection image to which the code has been added by the code addition means,

wherein the dictionary creation means creates, by using the character information in English having been recognized by the character information recognition means and the code having been added by the code addition means to the reproducing position selection image, the index dictionary allowing the user to select the reproducing position by speech.

2. The digital video reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an index display means for, when the image regions of the selection image are displayed on a display device, displaying, based on a result of recognition performed by the character information recognition means, a character string portion corresponding to the character information in the index dictionary based on the image regions of the selection image.

3. The digital video reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a nonvolatile storage means for storing in a nonvolatile manner, as chapter information of the digital video content having been used in a past, the character information having been recognized by the character information recognition means.

4. The digital video reproducing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the nonvolatile storage means stores the character information having been recognized by the character information recognition means, along with history information indicating whether a portion of the digital video content corresponding to the character information has been reproduced in the past.

5. The digital video reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the nonvolatile storage means stores the character information having been recognized by the character information recognition means, along with the history information, and also along with a date and a time when the portion of the digital video content corresponding to the character information has been reproduced.

6. The digital video reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dictionary creation means creates the index dictionary by using, when a number of characters of the character information having been recognized by the character information recognition means exceeds a predetermined threshold, a reduced number of characters of the character information.

7. The digital video reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a code addition means for adding a code, in accordance with a predetermined rule, to an image region of the selection image included in a video signal of the digital video content and displayed for allowing a user to select a reproducing position of the digital video content by speech; and

an index display means for displaying, on a display device, the image region of the selection image to which the code has been added by the code addition means,

wherein the dictionary creation means creates, by using the code having been added by the code addition means to the reproducing position selection image, the index dictionary allowing the user to select the reproducing position by speech.

8. The digital video reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dictionary creation means creates, by using text information included in a signal of the digital video content and allows a user to select a reproducing position of the digital video content, the index dictionary allowing the user to select the reproducing position by speech.