Detecting media watermarks in magnetic field data

• US 9,679,053 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Topchy, Alexander, Srinivasan, Venugopal
• Primary Examiner(s): McCord, Paul
• Application Number:
  US14/133,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20140343703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 700 94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• 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

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture (e.g., physical storage media) to detect media watermarks in magnetic field data are disclosed herein. Example methods disclosed herein to detect media watermarks can include accessing multidimensional magnetic field data representative of values of a magnetic field measured within a first distance of audio circuitry that is to output an audio signal corresponding to media presented by a media device. Such example methods can also include processing the multidimensional magnetic field data to detect a watermark included in the audio signal.

Claims

1. A method to detect media watermarks, the method comprising:

accessing, by executing an instruction with a processor in communication with a magnetometer, multidimensional magnetic field data determined by the magnetometer, the multidimensional magnetic field data representative of values of a magnetic field measured by the magnetometer, the multidimensional magnetic field data including a plurality of directional components; and

processing, by executing an instruction with the processor, the multidimensional magnetic field data determined by the magnetometer to detect a watermark included in an audio signal output by audio circuitry of a media device, the audio signal corresponding to media presented by the media device, wherein the watermark modulates a first frequency of the audio signal, the multidimensional magnetic field data is accessed at a first sampling rate that is less than twice the first frequency, and the processing includes;

processing the directional components to determine magnitude values representative of a magnitude of the magnetic field over time;

transforming the magnitude values into a frequency domain to determine transformed magnetic field data; and

evaluating the transformed magnetic field data at a second frequency different from the first frequency to detect the watermark, the second frequency selected to compensate for aliasing caused by accessing the multidimensional magnetic field data at the first sampling rate.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the accessing of the multidimensional magnetic field data includes obtaining the multidimensional magnetic field data from an interface providing access to the magnetometer.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the audio circuitry includes speaker leads electrically coupling a speaker driver circuit to a speaker that is to reproduce the audio signal, the watermark is included in a first frequency range of the audio signal, the first frequency range being below a threshold of audio frequencies capable of being reproduced by the speaker, the first frequency range including the first frequency of the audio signal.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the audio circuitry includes speaker leads electrically coupling a speaker to a speaker driver circuit, and the processing of the multidimensional magnetic field data includes detecting variations in the magnetic field that are induced by an electrical signal being carried by the speaker leads to cause the speaker to output the audio signal.

4. A method to detect media watermarks, the method comprising:

accessing, by executing an instruction with a processor in communication with a magnetometer, multidimensional magnetic field data determined by the magnetometer, the multidimensional magnetic field data representative of values of a magnetic field measured by the magnetometer, the multidimensional magnetic field data including a plurality of directional components; and

processing, by executing an instruction with the processor, the multidimensional magnetic field data determined by the magnetometer to detect a watermark included in an audio signal output by audio circuitry of a media device, the audio signal corresponding to media presented by the media device, wherein the multidimensional magnetic field data is first magnetic field data, and the processing includes;

processing the directional components to determine magnitude values representative of a magnitude of the magnetic field over time;

correlating the magnitude values with a reference sequence to determine second magnetic field data; and

processing the second magnetic field data to detect the watermark.

13. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the accessing of the multidimensional magnetic field data includes obtaining the multidimensional magnetic field data from an interface providing access to the magnetometer.

14. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the audio circuitry includes speaker leads electrically coupling a speaker to a speaker driver circuit, and the processing of the multidimensional magnetic field data includes detecting variations in the magnetic field that are induced by an electrical signal being carried by the speaker leads to cause the speaker to output the audio signal.

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

access multidimensional magnetic field data determined by a magnetometer, the multidimensional magnetic field data representative of values of a magnetic field measured by the magnetometer, the multidimensional magnetic field data including a plurality of directional components; and

process the multidimensional magnetic field data determined by the magnetometer to detect a watermark included in an audio signal output by audio circuitry of a media device, the audio signal corresponding to media presented by the media device, wherein the watermark modulates a first frequency of the audio signal, and the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to;

access, at a first sampling rate that is less than twice the first frequency, the multidimensional magnetic field data;

process the directional components to determine magnitude values representative of a magnitude of the magnetic field over time;

transform the magnitude values into a frequency domain to determine transformed magnetic field data; and

evaluate the transformed magnetic field data at a second frequency different from the first frequency to detect the watermark, the second frequency selected to compensate for aliasing caused by accessing the multidimensional magnetic field data at the first sampling rate.

7. The storage medium as defined in claim 6, wherein the audio circuitry includes speaker leads electrically coupling a speaker driver circuit to a speaker that is to reproduce the audio signal, the watermark is included in a first frequency range of the audio signal, the first frequency range being below a threshold of audio frequencies capable of being reproduced by the speaker, the first frequency range including the first frequency of the audio signal.

15. The storage medium as defined in claim 6, wherein to access the multidimensional magnetic field data, the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to obtain the multidimensional magnetic field data from an interface providing access to the magnetometer.

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

access multidimensional magnetic field data determined by a magnetometer, the multidimensional magnetic field data representative of values of a magnetic field measured by the magnetometer; and

process the multidimensional magnetic field data determined by the magnetometer to detect a watermark included in an audio signal output by audio circuitry of a media device, the audio signal corresponding to media presented by the media device, wherein the multidimensional magnetic field data includes a plurality of directional components, and the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to;

process the directional components to determine magnitude values representative of a magnitude of the magnetic field over time;

correlate the magnitude values with a reference sequence to determine second magnetic field data; and

process the second magnetic field data to detect the watermark.

16. The storage medium as defined in claim 8, wherein to access the multidimensional magnetic field data, the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to obtain the multidimensional magnetic field data from an interface providing access to the magnetometer.

9. An apparatus to detect media watermarks, the apparatus comprising:

a magnetic field estimator in communication with a magnetometer, the magnetic field estimator to access multidimensional magnetic field data determined by the magnetometer, the multidimensional magnetic field data representative of values of a magnetic field measured by the magnetometer, the multidimensional magnetic field data including a plurality of directional components, the magnetic field estimator to process the directional components to determine magnitude values representative of a magnitude of the magnetic field over time; and

a watermark detector to process the multidimensional magnetic field data measured by the magnetometer to detect a watermark included in an audio signal output by audio circuitry of a media device, the audio signal corresponding to media presented by the media device, the watermark detector including;

a frequency transformer to transform the magnitude values into a frequency domain to determine transformed magnetic field data; and

a watermark decoder to process the transformed magnetic field data to detect the watermark, wherein the watermark modulates a first frequency of the audio signal, the multidimensional magnetic field data is to be accessed by the magnetic field estimator at a first sampling rate that is less than twice the first frequency, and the watermark decoder is to evaluate the transformed magnetic field data at a second frequency different from the first frequency to detect the watermark, the second frequency selected to compensate for aliasing caused by the multidimensional magnetic field data being accessed at the first sampling rate.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the apparatus further includes the magnetometer.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the audio circuitry includes speaker leads electrically coupling a speaker driver circuit to a speaker that is to reproduce the audio signal, the watermark is included in a first frequency range of the audio signal, the first frequency range being below a threshold of audio frequencies capable of being reproduced by the speaker, the first frequency range including the first frequency of the audio signal.

12. An apparatus to detect media watermarks, the apparatus comprising:

a magnetic field estimator in communication with a magnetometer, the magnetic field estimator to access multidimensional magnetic field data determined by the magnetometer, the multidimensional magnetic field data representative of values of a magnetic field measured by the magnetometer, the multidimensional magnetic field data including a plurality of directional components, the magnetic field estimator to process the directional components to determine magnitude values representative of a magnitude of the magnetic field over time; and

a watermark detector to process the multidimensional magnetic field data measured by the magnetometer to detect a watermark included in an audio signal output by audio circuitry of a media device, the audio signal corresponding to media presented by the media device, wherein the multidimensional magnetic field data is first magnetic field data, and the watermark detector includes;

a correlator to correlate the magnitude values with a reference sequence to determine second magnetic field data; and

a watermark decoder to process the second magnetic field data to detect the watermark.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the apparatus further includes the magnetometer.