초록 ▼

The disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for creating digital signatures from frames of selected video segments such as TV commercials by a digitizing, compression and selection process which produces a multi-digit signature from each frame. The signatures are stored in a memory database. I

The disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for creating digital signatures from frames of selected video segments such as TV commercials by a digitizing, compression and selection process which produces a multi-digit signature from each frame. The signatures are stored in a memory database. In the recognition mode broadcast video transmissions are similarly digitized frame by frame to generate signatures which are then compared with the signatures in the database to find matches. The system cycles efficiently through the database testing for signature matches and then totalizing the signature matches to determine occurrences of a match between a transmitted segment or commercial and a stored segment or commercial. The system also includes signature generating and comparison circuits which permit wide variations in the quality of the input video signals form a variety of different media sources such as off-air, videotape or camera inputs while maintaining accurate recognition.

대표청구항 ▼

Apparatus for continuous pattern recognition of broadcast video segments comprising first means for digitally parametizing all of the pixels in all of the frames of video segments to be recognized to form multi-bit digital signatures therefrom related to the luminance of each pixel in each frame in

Apparatus for continuous pattern recognition of broadcast video segments comprising first means for digitally parametizing all of the pixels in all of the frames of video segments to be recognized to form multi-bit digital signatures therefrom related to the luminance of each pixel in each frame in accordance with a set of predetermined rules, said first means including a memory in which the digitally parametized pixels are all stored as digital words and in a TV frame orientation of a plurality of lines corresponding to the frame from which they were derived, said first means also including means for processing substantially all of said parametized pixels to form a digital signature, memory means coupled to said first means for storing said signatures as a database, there being groups of stored signatures for each segment to be recognized, means for monitoring a broadcast video transmission, means for receiving said broadcast video transmission and digitally parametizing all of the pixels in all of the frames of said video transmission to form a multi-bit digital test signature from each frame of said broadcast signal in accordance with said set of predetermined rules, and means for coupling said test signatures to said database and comparing each of said test signatures separately with every signature in all of the groups of signatures in said database whereby a match of a test signature and a stored signature occurs if the number of digital bits matched is equal to or greater than a predetermined number.