Apparatus and method for playing and/or generating audio content for an audience

• US 8,963,722 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2011
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hohl, Fritz
• Primary Examiner(s): KING, CURTIS J
• Application Number:
  US13/253,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20120092167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/53 Recognition of crowd images, e.g. recognition of crowd congestion
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/351 Environmental parameters, e.g. temperature, ambient light, atmospheric pressure, humidity, used as input for musical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

An apparatus for at least one of playing and generating audio content for an audience includes circuitry. The circuitry is configured to receive sensor data from one or more sensors monitoring the audience. The circuitry is configured to analyze said sensor data to identify characteristic movement patterns of one or more members of the audience. The circuitry is configured to select music and generate verbal communication other than music to address the audience, based on the identified characteristic movement patterns. The circuitry is further configured to output said selected music and said verbal communication. A corresponding method for at least one of playing and generating audio content for an audience is also provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus for at least one of playing and generating audio content for an audience, comprising:

circuitry configured to

receive sensor data from one or more sensors monitoring the audience,

analyze said sensor data to identify characteristic movement patterns of one or more members of the audience,

select music and generate verbal communication other than music to address the audience, based on the identified characteristic movement patterns, and

output said selected music and said verbal communication.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more video cameras.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more millimeter-wave cameras.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is configured to

analyze the sensor data to recognize the sex of said one or more members of the audience, and

take the recognized sex into account when at least one of selecting music and generating verbal communication.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a user interface for entering information about characteristics or preferences of the one or more members of the audience, wherein

said circuitry is configured to take said information into account when at least one of selecting music and generating verbal communication.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said characteristics or preferences of the one or more members of the audience include at least one of the average age of the participants, the male/female ratio, the number of members of the audience, music preferences, and specific song wishes.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said user interface is adapted for entering music wishes, and

the circuitry is configured to take the music wishes into account when at least one of selecting music and generating verbal communication.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is configured to recognize characteristic behavior patterns of one or more members of the audience, said characteristic behavior patterns comprising behavior patterns that are characteristic for at least one of enthusiasm, exhaustion, boredom, anger, and members of the audience talking with other members of the audience.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to

output at least one of the selected music and the verbal communication with an adjustable volume, and

set the adjustable volume based on said characteristic movement or behavior patterns.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more microphones.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said circuitry is configured to detect from the microphone data an audio signal that is generated by the audience.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said circuitry is configured adapted to detect the audio signal that is generated by the audience by subtracting from an audio signal that is recorded by the one or more microphones a signal that is caused by the music.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the circuitry is configured to

recognize characteristics of speech of members of the audience, and

take said characteristics of the speech of members of the audience into account when at least one of selecting music and generating verbal communication.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the circuitry is configured to

recognize at least one of words and sentences spoken by one or more members of the audience based on said audio signals, and

take said recognized at least one of words and sentences into account when at least one of selecting music and generating verbal communication.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said characteristic movement patterns comprise different categories of dance style.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to recognize a dance energy of the one or more members of the audience, said dance energy representing the level of physical activity of the one or more members of the audience.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage for at least one of music and verbal communication and a device to access at least one of music and verbal communication over the Internet.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is configured to

generate text, and

generate verbal communication from said text.

19. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selected music comprises individual pieces of selected music, and wherein the circuitry is configured to generate verbal communication between said individual pieces of selected music.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said generated verbal communication comprises at least one of jokes, invitations, remarks, and other statements targeted at the one or more members of the audience.

21. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to use a set of rules to at least one of select music and generate verbal communications.

22. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the circuitry is configured to identify at least one of a male/female ratio and a total number of members of the audience who are dancing and said set of rules to at least one of select music and generate verbal communication takes at least one of said male/female ratio and said total number of members of the audience who are dancing into account.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the circuitry is configured to use several sets of rules to at least one of select music and generate verbal communication and the user interface provides a device to choose which one of said several sets of rules should be used.

24. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said circuitry is configured to determine a music energy level of actually played music, to compare said music energy level to said dance energy level and to at least one of select music and generate verbal communication in case of a significant difference between said music energy level and said dance energy level.

25. A method for at least one of playing and generating audio content for an audience, comprising:

receiving sensor data from one or more sensors monitoring the audience,

analyzing said sensor data to identify characteristic movement patterns of one or more members of the audience,

selecting music and generating verbal communication other than music to address the audience, based on the identified characteristic movement patterns, and

outputting said selected music and said verbal communication.

26. A computer readable non-transitory medium having instructions stored thereon which, when carried out on a computer, cause the computer to perform of the method as claimed in claim 25.