Broadcasting system, sending apparatus and sending method, receiving apparatus and receiving method, and program

• US 8,767,067 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Tetsujiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US12/735,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20100289894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,964 Days
• Field of Search: 348/135
• US Class Current: 348/135
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114

Abstract

The present invention relates to a broadcasting system, a sending apparatus and a sending method, a receiving apparatus and a receiving method, and a program that make it possible to cause a user to feel a sense of realism, to display an image suitable for the preferences of a user, or the like by performing an appropriate process on a receiving side of the broadcasting system.

A sending apparatus 11 sends material data, which is acquired by a sensor, and additional information, which is used to process the material data with a receiving apparatus 12. The receiving apparatus 12 receives the material data and the additional information, and generates output data on the basis of the material data and the additional information. Further, the receiving apparatus 12 produces output on the basis of the output data, e.g., produces output with output means such as a display device or an air conditioner. The present invention can be applied to, for example, a broadcasting system that broadcasts.

Claims

1. A broadcasting system, comprising:

a sending apparatus that sends data; and

a receiving apparatus that receives the data;

the sending apparatus including;

editing means for generating, based on material data acquired by a sensor, at least one of (i) real-world information indicating a physical amount, in the real world, of a target sensed by the sensor as additional information to be used to carry out a reality-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus or (ii) effect information as additional information to be used to carry out an entertainment-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus, and

sending means for sending the material data and the additional information;

the receiving apparatus including;

receiving means for receiving the material data and the additional information,

generating means for generating output data based on the material data and the additional information, and

output means for producing output based on the output data,

wherein the material data includes pieces of material data, the pieces of material data are derived from a plurality of streams of moving images, the effect information includes switching information for switching among images to be displayed on a display device by selecting a time code, for each one of the pieces of material data, one or more images from an associated one of the plurality of streams of moving images, and

the generating means generates the output data based on the switching information, the

output data including the images to be displayed by the display device.

2. The broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein the additional information includes the real-world information indicating a physical amount in the real world, and the generating means generates the output based on the material data, the real-world information, and characteristics information indicating characteristics of the output means so that a physical amount recognized from the output produced by the output means is identified as being the physical amount indicated by the real-world information.

3. The broadcasting system according to claim 2, wherein the sensor includes image-capture means for capturing an image, the material data includes an image captured by the image-capture means, the output means includes a display device that displays an image, the output data includes an image displayed by the display device, the real-world information includes image-capture-range information indicating an image-capture range of the image-capture means, and the characteristics information includes size information indicating a size of a display screen in which the display device displays an image.

4. The broadcasting system according to claim 3, wherein the generating means generates an image as the output data based on the image which includes the material data, the image-capture-range information which includes the real-world information, and the size information which includes the characteristics information so that a size of an object recognized from the image displayed by the display device does not exceed a size of the object in the real world.

5. The broadcasting system according to claim 3, wherein the generating means generates an image, which includes the output data, based on the image which includes the material data, the image-capture-range information which includes the real-world information, and the size information which includes the characteristics information so that a size of an object recognized from the image displayed by the display device is identified as being a size of the object in the real world.

6. The broadcasting system according to claim 2, wherein the sending means sends a plurality of types of material data that are acquired by a plurality of types of sensors and pieces of additional information corresponding to the plurality of individual types of material data, and the receiving apparatus includes:

the receiving means,

a plurality of types of generating means for individually generating a plurality of types of output data based on the plurality of types of material data and the pieces of additional information corresponding to the plurality of types of material data, and

a plurality of types of output means for producing output based on the plurality of types of output data.

7. The broadcasting system according to claim 6, wherein one predetermined type of output means among the plurality of types of output means includes air conditioning means, one predetermined type of output data among the plurality of types of output data includes data concerning a temperature or an air-flow speed, and the air conditioning means produces, based on the data concerning a temperature or an air-flow speed, output for reproducing a temperature or an air-flow speed in an environment in which the plurality of types of material data were acquired by the plurality of types of sensors.

8. The broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein the additional information includes the effect information that is used to process the material data, and the generating means generates the output data by subjecting the material data to processing based on the effect information.

9. The broadcasting system according to claim 8, the receiving apparatus further includes instruction input means for accepting a processing instruction that is provided by a user, and the generating means subjects, based on the effect information or instruction information concerning the processing instruction that is provided by the user, the material data to processing that is desired by the user.

10. The broadcasting system according to claim 9, wherein the sensor includes image-capture means for capturing an image, the material data includes an image captured by the image-capture means, the output means includes a display device that displays an image, the output data includes an image displayed by the display device, the instruction information includes display image-frame information indicating a region corresponding to a portion, which is to be displayed on the display device, of the image that is the material data, and the generating means generates the output data by extracting an image corresponding to the region indicated by the display image-frame information from the image that includes the material data.

11. The broadcasting system according to claim 8, wherein the sensor includes image-capture means for capturing an image, the material data includes an image captured by the image-capture means, the output means includes a display device that displays an image, the output data includes an image displayed by the display device, and the effect information includes to-be-combined data that is to be combined with the image which includes the material data, and the generating means generates the output data by combining, based on the effect information, the to-be-combined data with the image that includes the material data.

12. The broadcasting system according to claim 11, wherein the to-be-combined data includes data concerning a subtitle or data for picture in picture.

13. The broadcasting system according to claim 8, wherein the sensor includes image-capture means for capturing an image, the material data includes an image captured by the image-capture means, the output means includes a display device that displays an image, the output data includes an image displayed by the display device, the effect information includes display image-frame information indicating a region corresponding to a portion, which is to be displayed on the display device, of the image that includes the material data, and the generating means generates the output data by extracting an image corresponding to the region indicated by the display image-frame information from the image that includes the material data.

14. The broadcasting system according to claim 8, wherein the sensor includes image-capture means for capturing an image, the plurality of streams of moving images are captured by the image-capture means, and the output means includes the display device.

15. The broadcasting system according to claim 9, wherein the additional information further includes real-world information indicating a physical amount in the real world, and when no processing instruction is provided by the user, the generating means generates the output based on the material data, the real-world information, and characteristics information indicating characteristics of the output means so that a physical amount recognized from the output produced by the output means is identified as being the physical amount indicated by the real-world information.

16. The broadcasting system according to claim 11, wherein the receiving apparatus further includes instruction input means for accepting a processing instruction that is provided by a user, and the generating means subjects, based on the effect information or instruction information concerning the processing instruction that is provided by the user, the material data to processing that is desired by the user.

17. The broadcasting system according to claim 16, wherein the effect information includes timing information indicating a timing at which combining of the to-be-combined data is performed, and when no processing instruction is provided by the user, the generating means generates the output data by combining, based on the timing information, the to-be-combined data with the image that includes the material data.

18. A sending apparatus that, together with a receiving apparatus which receives data, configures a broadcasting system and that sends the data, the sending apparatus comprising:

editing means for generating, based on material data acquired by a sensor, at least one of (i) real-world information indicating a physical amount, in the real world, of a target sensed by the sensor as additional information to be used to carry out a reality-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus or (ii) effect information as additional information to be used to carry out an entertainment-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus; and

sending means for sending the material data and the additional information,

wherein the material data includes pieces of material data, the pieces of material data are derived from a plurality of streams of moving images, and the effect information includes switching information for switching among images to be displayed on a display device by selecting a time code, for each one of the pieces of material data, one or more images from an associated one of the plurality of streams of moving images.

19. A sending method for a sending apparatus that, together with a receiving apparatus which receives data, configures a broadcasting system and that sends the data, the sending method comprising:

a step of generating, based on material data acquired by a sensor, at least one of (i) real-world information indicating a physical amount, in the real world, of a target sensed by the sensor as additional information to be used to carry out a reality-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus or (ii) effect information as additional information to be used to carry out an entertainment-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus; and

a step of sending the material data and the additional information,

wherein the material data includes pieces of material data, the pieces of material data are derived from a plurality of streams of moving images, and the effect information includes switching information for switching among images to be displayed on a display device by selecting a time code, for each one of the pieces of material data, one or more images from an associated one of the plurality of streams of moving images.

20. A non-transitory recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for causing a computer to function as a sending apparatus that, together with a receiving apparatus which receives data, configures a broadcasting system and that sends the data, the program causing the computer to function as:

editing means for generating, based on material data acquired by a sensor, at least one of (i) real-world information indicating a physical amount, in the real world, of a target sensed by the sensor as additional information to be used to carry out a reality-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus or (ii) effect information as additional information to be used to carry out an entertainment-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus; and

sending means for sending the material data and the additional information,

wherein the material data includes pieces of material data, the pieces of material data are derived from a plurality of streams of moving images, and the effect information includes switching information for switching among images to be displayed on a display device by selecting a time code, for each one of the pieces of material data, one or more images from an associated one of the plurality of streams of moving images.

21. A receiving apparatus that, together with a sending apparatus which sends data, configures a broadcasting system and receives the data, the

receiving apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving material data and additional information in a case in which the sending apparatus generates, based on the material data acquired by a sensor, at least one of (i) real-world information indicating a physical amount, in the real world, of a target sensed by the sensor as the additional information to be used to carry out a reality-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus or (ii) effect information as the additional information to be used to carry out an entertainment-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus, and sends the material data and the additional information, generating means for generating output data based on the material data and the additional information, and

producing means for producing output based on the output data with output means for producing output,

wherein the material data includes pieces of material data, the pieces of material data are derived from a plurality of streams of moving images, the effect information includes switching information for switching among images to be displayed on a display device by selecting a time code, for each one of the pieces of material data, one or more images from an associated one of the plurality of streams of moving images, and

the generating means generates the output data based on the switching information, the output data including the images to be displayed by the display device.

22. A receiving method for a receiving apparatus that, together with a sending apparatus which sends data, configures a broadcasting system and receives the data, the receiving method comprising:

in a case in which the sending apparatus generates, based on material data acquired by a sensor, at least one of (i) real-world information indicating a physical amount, in the real world, of a target sensed by the sensor as additional information to be used to carry out a reality-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus or (ii) effect information as additional information to be used to carry out an entertainment-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus, and sends the material data and the additional information,

receiving the material data and the additional information,

generating output data based on the material data and the additional information, and

producing output based on the output data with output means for producing output,

wherein the material data includes pieces of material data, the pieces of material data are derived from a plurality of streams of moving images, the effect information includes switching information for switching among images to be displayed on a display device by selecting a time code, for each one of the pieces of material data, one or more images from an associated one of the plurality of streams of moving images, and

the generating step generates the output data based on the switching information, the output data including the images to be displayed by the display device.

23. A non-transitory recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for causing a computer to function as a receiving apparatus that, together with a sending apparatus which sends data, configures a broadcasting system and receives the data, the program causing the computer to function as:

receiving means for receiving material data and additional information in a case in which the sending apparatus generates, based on the material data acquired by a sensor, at least one of (i) real-world information indicating a physical amount, in the real world, of a target sensed by the sensor as the additional information to be used to carry out a reality-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus or (ii) effect information as the additional information to be used to carry out an entertainment-mode process on the material data at the receiving apparatus, and sends the material data and the additional information,

generating means for generating output data based on the material data and the additional information, and

output means for producing output based on the output data,

wherein the material data includes pieces of material data, the pieces of material data are derived from a plurality of streams of moving images, the effect information includes switching information for switching among images to be displayed on a display device by selecting a time code, for each one of the pieces of material data, one or more images from an associated one of the plurality of streams of moving images, and

the generating means generates the output data based on the switching information, the output data including the images to be displayed by the display device.