Method and apparatus for identifying television channel information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9980009-B2
Application number	US-201615176030-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2016
Priority date	Jun 12, 2014
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A digital video conversion device is communicatively coupled to a TV set and a TV signal source, respectively, so as to pass TV signals from the TV signal source to the TV set. Upon receipt of a TV channel identification request from a mobile terminal via a wireless communication channel, the digital video conversion device acquires an image from the TV signals currently broadcasted on the TV set and extracts a plurality of station logo characteristic sets from the image, each station logo characteristic set corresponding to one of a plurality of station logo templates. After calculating a similarity score between each station logo characteristic set and a corresponding station logo template, the digital video conversion device identifies one of the plurality of station logo templates as matching the image based on their similarity scores and returns TV channel information associated with the identified station logo template to the mobile terminal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of determining TV channel information, the method comprising:
at a digital video conversion device having one or more processors, radio-frequency circuitry and memory for storing program modules to be executed by the one or more processors, wherein the digital video conversion device is communicatively coupled to a TV set and a TV signal source, respectively, so as to pass TV signals from the TV signal source to the TV set:
receiving a TV channel identification request from a mobile terminal via a wireless communication channel;
in response to the TV channel identification request:
acquiring an image from the TV signals currently broadcasted on the TV set;
extracting a plurality of station logo characteristic sets from the image, wherein each station logo characteristic set corresponds to one of a plurality of station logo templates, wherein each station logo template includes a respective station logo type and logo position information for a respective station logo image region, and wherein extracting the plurality of station logo characteristic set for a corresponding station logo template in the plurality of station logo templates includes:
in accordance with a determination that the respective station logo type in the corresponding station logo template is a static opaque station logo type, generating a normalized block-level color histogram for a station logo image region in the image; and
in accordance with a determination that the respective station logo type in the corresponding station logo template is a static semi-transparent station logo type, generating a perpetual hash value of the station logo image region in the image;

calculating a similarity score between each station logo characteristic set and the corresponding station logo template of said each station logo characteristic set;
identifying one of the plurality of station logo templates as matching the image based on their similarity scores; and
returning TV channel information associated with the identified station logo template to the mobile terminal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each station logo template includes respective station logo mask information, and one or more station logo image attributes corresponding to said each station logo template.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of extracting the plurality of station logo characteristic sets from the image further includes:
for each station logo template of the plurality of station logo templates:
identifying the respective station logo image region in the image according to the station logo position information for the respective station logo image region;
processing the identified station image logo region using the station logo mask information in said each station logo template; and
calculating one or more station logo image attributes for the processed station logo image region according to the station logo type in said each station logo template.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of station logo templates further includes a parent station logo template, the parent station logo template further having multiple child station logo templates.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
after identifying the parent station logo template as matching the image based on their similarity scores:
extracting a plurality of station logo characteristic sets from the image, wherein each station logo characteristic set corresponds to one child station logo template associated with the identified parent station logo template;
calculating a second similarity score between each station logo characteristic set and a corresponding child station logo template;
identifying one of the plurality of child station logo templates as matching the image based on their second similarity scores; and
returning TV channel information associated with the identified parent and child station logo templates to the mobile terminal.

6. A digital video conversion device, wherein the digital video conversion device is communicatively coupled to a TV set and a TV signal source, respectively, so as to pass TV signals from the TV signal source to the TV set, the digital video conversion device further comprising:
one or more processors;
radio-frequency circuitry;
memory; and
one or more program modules stored in the memory, wherein the one or more program modules include instructions to be executed by the one or more processors, the instructions further including:
receiving a TV channel identification request from a mobile terminal via a wireless communication channel;
in response to the TV channel identification request:
acquiring an image from the TV signals currently broadcasted on the TV set;
extracting a plurality of station logo characteristic sets from the image, wherein each station logo characteristic set corresponds to one of a plurality of station logo templates, wherein each station logo template includes a respective station logo type and logo position information for a respective station logo image region, and wherein extracting the plurality of station logo characteristic set for a corresponding station logo template in the plurality of station logo templates includes:
in accordance with a determination that the respective station logo type in the corresponding station logo template is a static opaque station logo type, generating a normalized block-level color histogram for a station logo image region in the image; and
in accordance with a determination that the respective station logo type in the corresponding station logo template is a static semi-transparent station logo type, generating a perpetual hash value of the station logo image region in the image;

calculating a similarity score between each station logo characteristic set and a corresponding station logo template of said each station logo characteristic set;
identifying one of the plurality of station logo templates as matching the image based on their similarity scores; and
returning TV channel information associated with the identified station logo template to the mobile terminal.

7. The digital video conversion device of claim 6 , wherein each station logo template includes respective station logo mask information, and one or more station logo image attributes corresponding to said each station logo template.

8. The digital video conversion device of claim 7 , wherein the instruction for extracting the plurality of station logo characteristic sets from the image further includes instructions for:
for each station logo template of the plurality of station logo templates:
identifying the respective station logo image region in the image according to the station logo position information for the respective station logo image region;
processing the identified station image logo region using the station logo mask information in said each station logo template; and
calculating one or more station logo image attributes for the processed station logo image region according to the station logo type in said each station logo template.

9. The digital video conversion device of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the plurality of station logo templates further includes a parent station logo template, the parent station logo template further having multiple child station logo templates.

10. The digital video conversion device of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further include:
after identifying the parent station logo template as matching the image based on their similarity scores:
extracting a plurality of station logo characteristic sets from the image, wherein each station logo characteristic set corresponds to one child st

Assignees

• Tencent Tech Shenzhen Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jiang Mei
• Liu Hailong
• Liu Jian
• Chen Bo

Classifications

• H04N21/41407

  embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop (constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57) · CPC title

• H04N21/8146

  involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics · CPC title

• H04N21/43637

  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) · CPC title

• H04N21/44008 Primary

  involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream (arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59) · CPC title

• H04N21/482 Primary

  End-user interface for programme selection · CPC title