Power efficient detection of watermarks in media signals

• US 9,641,857 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2016
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Gish, David, Gupta, Sadhana, Kuznetsov, Vladimir, Lynch, Wendell D., Neuhauser, Alan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yentrapati, Avinash
• Application Number:
  US15/231,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20160353124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 267 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/28 involving image processing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/42 characterised by implementation details or hardware specially adapted for video compression or decompression, e.g. dedicated software implementation H04N19/635 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/467 characterised by the embedded information being invisible, e.g. watermarking
• 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 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture (e.g., physical storage media) to implement power efficient detection of watermarks in media signals are disclosed. Example watermark detection methods disclosed herein include initiating a first search interval in which to attempt to detect watermarks in a media signal. Disclosed example watermark detection methods also initiating a sleep mode upon expiration of the first search interval in response to no valid watermarks being detected during the first search interval. Disclosed example watermark detection methods further include, upon expiration of a first sleep interval after initiation of the sleep mode, initiating a second search interval.

Claims

1. A media device meter comprising:

a watermark detector to detect watermarks in a media signal; and

a watermark controller to;

activate the watermark detector to begin a first search interval;

place the watermark detector in a sleep mode upon expiration of the first search interval in response to no valid watermarks being detected during the first search interval; and

upon expiration of a first sleep interval after placing the watermark detector in the sleep mode, activating the watermark detector to begin a second search interval.

2. The media device meter of claim 1, wherein the watermark controller is further to place the watermark detector in the sleep mode prior to expiration of the first search interval in response to detection of a first valid watermark during the first search interval.

3. The media device meter of claim 2, wherein after the watermark detector is placed in the sleep mode in response to detecting the first valid watermark during the first search interval, the watermark controller is to cycle the watermark detector between subsequent sleep intervals and active intervals to detect subsequent watermarks in the media signal, the active intervals being based on expected locations of the subsequent watermarks in the media signal.

4. The media device meter of claim 3, wherein the expected locations of the subsequent watermarks are based on a repetition rate associated with the subsequent watermarks.

5. The media device meter of claim 3, wherein the subsequent sleep intervals have different durations than the first sleep interval.

6. The media device meter of claim 1, wherein the watermark controller is to place the watermark detector in the sleep mode by at least one of asserting a control input, disabling power to the watermark detector or preventing a processor from invoking the watermark detector during the first sleep interval.

7. The media device meter of claim 1, wherein the media device meter is implemented by a portable device.

8. A watermark detection method comprising:

initiating, by executing an instructions with a processor, a first search interval in which to attempt to detect watermarks in a media signal;

initiating, by executing an instruction with the processor, a sleep mode upon expiration of the first search interval in response to no valid watermarks being detected during the first search interval; and

upon expiration of a first sleep interval after initiation of the sleep mode, initiating, by executing an instruction with the processor, a second search interval.

9. The watermark detection method of claim 8, further including initiating the sleep mode prior to expiration of the first search interval in response to detecting a first valid watermark during the first search interval.

10. The watermark detection method of claim 9, further including, after initiation of the sleep mode in response to detecting the first valid watermark during the first search interval, cycling between subsequent sleep intervals and active intervals to detect subsequent watermarks in the media signal, the active intervals being based on expected locations of the subsequent watermarks in the media signal.

11. The watermark detection method of claim 10, wherein the expected locations of the subsequent watermarks are based on a repetition rate associated with the subsequent watermarks.

12. The watermark detection method of claim 10, wherein the subsequent sleep intervals have different durations than the first sleep interval.

13. The watermark detection method of claim 8, wherein the initiating of the sleep mode includes at least one of asserting a control input to a watermark detector, disabling power to the watermark detector or preventing the processor from invoking the watermark detector during the first sleep interval.

14. The watermark detection method of claim 8, wherein the processor is included in a portable device.

15. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

initiate a first search interval in which to attempt to detect watermarks in a media signal;

initiate a sleep mode upon expiration of the first search interval in response to no valid watermarks being detected during the first search interval; and

upon expiration of a first sleep interval after initiation of the sleep mode, initiate a second search interval.

16. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to initiate the sleep mode prior to expiration of the first search interval in response to detection of a first valid watermark during the first search interval.

17. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein after the initiation of the sleep mode in response to detection of the first valid watermark during the first search interval, the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to cycle between subsequent sleep intervals and active intervals to detect subsequent watermarks in the media signal, the active intervals being based on expected locations of the subsequent watermarks in the media signal.

18. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the expected locations of the subsequent watermarks are based on a repetition rate associated with the subsequent watermarks.

19. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the subsequent sleep intervals have different durations than the first sleep interval.

20. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to initiate the sleep mode by at least one of asserting a control input to a watermark detector, disabling power to the watermark detector or preventing the processor from invoking the watermark detector during the first sleep interval.