Device and method for synchronizing broadcast audio-visual programs and complementary data
View Patent ↗The invention relates to a device and a process for the synchronization of broadcast audiovisual programs and of complementary information. The device comprises an image and/or sound sensing assembly, capable of retrieving at least a semantic element from the content of audio-visual programs being broadcast. It further comprises a unit identifying the semantic elements, connected to a program guide including one or several chronologically arranged lists of data sets respectively associated with the broadcast programs. The identifying unit selects for at least one of the programs being broadcast, the data set which is most probably correlated to the semantic elements. It carries out a prior learning session enabling to select the appropriate data sets from the semantic elements. A synthesizing unit synchronizes the audio-visual programs with the selected data sets.
1. A device for the synchronization of broadcast audiovisual programs and of complementary information, comprising:
a picture and/or sound detection set, capable of extracting at least one semantic element from the content of said audiovisual programs currently being broadcast,
a recognition unit for recognizing said semantic elements, which is linked to the detection set and to at least one program guide, said guide comprising for at least one broadcasting channel, respectively at least one chronologically ordered list of information sets respectively associated with audiovisual programs intended to be broadcast on said channel, said recognition unit being capable of selecting for each of said audiovisual programs currently being broadcast on one of said channels, corresponding to one of said ordered lists, the one of said information sets which is most probably correlated with said semantic elements obtained in respect of said audiovisual program, and said recognition unit being intended to perform a prior learning enabling said recognition unit to select said appropriate information sets on the basis of said semantic elements, by means of learning materials comprising semantic elements and associated information,
and a synthesis block capable of synchronizing the audiovisual programs currently being broadcast with the selected information sets.
2. The synchronization device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
said device comprises a memory designed to contain at least one indicator of the information set corresponding to the audiovisual program broadcast last, respectively for each of said lists,
the recognition unit is capable of selecting said information set from said ordered list for each of said channels, in such a way that said information set is positioned in said ordered list at a rank higher than or equal to the rank of the information set pointed at by the indicator associated with said ordered list,
and the synthesis block is intended for updating said indicators in the memory.
3. The synchronization device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the recognition unit is capable of selecting from the ordered lists, information sets having a rank at least two units higher than the information sets pointed at by said indicators.
4. The synchronization device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the recognition unit is intended also to perform said learning during use.
5. The synchronization device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said semantic elements are chosen from
a family of shapes,
a sound level,
a pace of motion,
a family of visual and/or audible signs,
and any combination of said semantic elements.
6. The synchronization device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the recognition unit comprises at least one neural network, intended for receiving as input at least said semantic elements and for producing as output at least a result representative of information correlated with said semantic elements.
7. The synchronization device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said information sets comprise at least one value giving provisional time information regarding the broadcasting of the associated audiovisual programs.
8. The application of the synchronization device as claimed in claim 1 to a screen display of details regarding audiovisual programs currently being broadcast.
9. The application of the synchronization device as claimed in claim 1 to an automatic recording of audiovisual programs by video recorder.
10. The application of the synchronization device as claimed in claim 1 to a substitution of content of audiovisual programs.
11. A process for the synchronization of broadcast audiovisual programs and of complementary information, comprising the following steps:
extraction of at least one semantic element by means of a picture and/or sound detection set from the content of audiovisual programs currently being broadcast,
selection by means of a recognition unit, from a chronologically ordered list of information sets respectively associated with audiovisual programs intended to be broadcast on a broadcasting channel, for each of said audiovisual programs currently being broadcast on said broadcasting channel, the one of said information sets which is most probably correlated with said semantic elements obtained in respect of said audiovisual program,
and synchronization of the audiovisual programs currently being broadcast by means of a synthesis block with the selected information sets.
12. The synchronization process according to claim 11 , said synchronization process being implemented by means of a synchronization device in accordance with claim 1 .