JP2009159437A - Information processor, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processor capable of easily acquiring a content on a network without adding new information to an image signal nor newly arranging a separate server or the like; an information processing method; and a program. <P>SOLUTION: This information processor includes: display means 115 and 117 displaying the image of image data on a display screen; a frame acquisition part 121 sequentially acquiring frame images from the image data in response to the operation of a user or automatically; an image region extraction part 123 extracting an image region without having a difference from a predetermined number of previous frame images within the respective frame images acquired by the frame acquisition part 121; a character information extraction part 124 extracting character information included in the image region extracted by the image region extraction part 123; and a retrieval part 131 retrieving a content on a network by using the character information extracted by the character information extraction part 124 as a keyword. The display means 115 and 117 display the content retrieved by the retrieval part 131 on the display screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.

  Along with the spread of the Internet in recent years, for example, homepages published on the Internet in video data such as TV programs and commercials (hereinafter also referred to as “CM”) broadcast on television (hereinafter also referred to as “TV”). Information for referring to content such as “HP” (hereinafter also referred to as “HP”) is often displayed. Examples of information for referring to the content on the network include a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) and a search keyword. For example, “Continued on the Internet. Search for “XXCM”. Is displayed as an image.

  In order to acquire the content from the network, the user who has watched the video data to be broadcast writes down or stores information for referring to the content, and installs a device (such as a computer) that can be connected to the Internet. It is necessary to start up an HTML browser, etc., and write down or input stored information to acquire an HP or search the Internet.

  On the other hand, with the development and popularization of digital broadcasting, TV receivers that can be connected to the Internet, such as digital television, have been developed.

  According to this TV receiver, in order to acquire content on a network, for example, additional information is attached to a data broadcast portion in digital broadcasting, and the content is acquired from the Internet based on the additional information and provided to the user. And a method for providing a user with a content acquisition method has been proposed. Examples of this method include Patent Documents 1 and 2. In Patent Documents 1 and 2, tag information and character information for specifying a URI of content on a network are embedded in a broadcast wave including video data or multiplexed and broadcast, and a TV receiver is based on the tag information. Get content on the network.

  For example, a method of using a separate CM content management server has been proposed. Examples of this method include Patent Documents 3 and 4. In Patent Documents 3 and 4, a CM content management server is newly provided. Then, the CM content management server accumulates video data of the CM content in the TV broadcast, and the server administrator sends a message included in the video data and the company name / product of the CM to the new CM content. The CM content management server records the name / music / acting actor and other additional information in association with each other. When a user views a new CM content, the user accesses the CM content management server using a client (TV receiver), inputs a message included in the CM as a search keyword, and searches for additional information. To get.

JP 2001-204005 A JP 2003-219374 A JP 2006-237878 A JP 2006-237879 A

  However, in the methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when additional information is newly added to the data broadcasting unit, the TV receiver provider, the broadcaster, and the content producer cooperate to create a new TV broadcast. The service must be started. That is, it is necessary to greatly change the information itself transmitted by TV broadcasting. In the methods described in Patent Documents 3 and 4, the database stored in the CM content management server is created by the administrator. Therefore, it is necessary to manage the CM content management server. Furthermore, although the user uses the TV receiver to acquire a message included in the video data, it is necessary to separately input the message to the TV receiver as a search keyword.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to add new information to video data and to provide a new server or the like. Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program capable of easily acquiring content on a network.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, according to an aspect of the present invention, display means for displaying a video based on input video data on a display screen, and a frame image from the video data according to a user operation or automatically A frame acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring images, an image region extraction unit for extracting an image region having no difference from a predetermined number of previous frame images in each frame image acquired by the frame acquisition unit, and an image region extraction unit A character information extraction unit that extracts character information included in the image area, and a search unit that searches content on the network using the character information extracted by the character information extraction unit as a search keyword. An information processing apparatus is provided, wherein content searched by a search unit is displayed on a display screen.

  According to this configuration, the frame acquisition unit can acquire a frame image of video data, and the image region extraction unit can extract an image region that is not different from a predetermined number of previous frame images. Then, the character information extraction unit can extract the character information included in the image area, and the search unit can search the content on the network using the character information as a search keyword. Furthermore, the searched content can be displayed on the display screen by the display means.

The image area extraction unit determines whether or not the extracted image area includes a predetermined pattern shape, and the character information extraction unit determines whether the image area extraction unit includes the predetermined pattern shape. The included character information may be extracted.
According to this configuration, the image region extraction unit can determine whether or not a predetermined pattern shape is included. Then, the character information extraction unit can extract the character information included in the image area determined to include the predetermined pattern shape.

In addition, when there are a plurality of character information extracted from the image area, the character information extraction unit adds a priority according to a predetermined rule to each character information, and the search unit supports character information with a high priority. The content to be searched may be searched first.
According to this configuration, a priority order can be added to a plurality of character information by the character information extraction unit. And the content corresponding to the character information with a high priority can be searched first by the search part.

In addition, when there are a plurality of character information extracted from the image area, the character information extraction unit displays each character information in a list on the display screen, and the search unit corresponds to the character information specified according to the user's operation. The content to be searched may be searched.
According to this configuration, a plurality of pieces of character information can be displayed as a list on the display screen by the character information extraction unit. And a search part can search the content corresponding to the character information designated according to a user's operation.

The display means displays each character information based on the information data received in association with the video data on the display screen, and a plurality of character information extracted by the character information extraction unit displayed as a list on the display screen. All of the character information identical to the character information based on the information data may be removed from the display target.
According to this configuration, it is not necessary to list the same character information on the display screen.

  Further, a memory unit that sequentially stores each frame image acquired by the frame acquisition unit, a frame image that is closest to the user operation timing among the frame images stored in the memory unit, and a predetermined value based on the frame image A memory control unit that reads out each frame image stored within the retroactive time, and the display means displays each frame image read out by the memory control unit as a reduced image on the display screen in a predetermined arrangement pattern. May be.

  In addition, the memory control unit may sequentially delete each frame image stored in the memory unit from the one with the longest retroactive time from the user operation timing.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, a video based on input video data is displayed on a display image, and a frame image is automatically generated from the video data in accordance with a user operation. Are sequentially acquired, and an image area that is not different from a predetermined number of previous frame images is extracted from each acquired frame image, character information included in the extracted image area is extracted, and the extracted character information is searched as a search keyword. An information processing method is provided that searches for content on a network and displays the searched content on a display screen.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, a frame acquisition unit that sequentially acquires frame images in accordance with a user operation or automatically from input video data according to a computer; In each frame image acquired by the frame acquisition means, an image area extraction means for extracting an image area that is not different from a predetermined number of previous frame images, and character information included in the image area extracted by the image area extraction means Character information extracting means for extracting the content, search means for searching the content on the network using the character information extracted by the character information extracting means as a search keyword, and display means for displaying the content searched by the search means on the display screen, , A program for functioning is provided.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily acquire content on the network without adding new information to the video data and without newly providing a separate server or the like.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

  An information processing apparatus according to each embodiment of the present invention can reproduce video data of one content and can be connected to a network, for example, a display device such as a digital TV, a video player, Applicable to playback devices such as VCRs, HDD recorders, DVD players, DVD recorders, mobile phones, computers, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), music playback devices that can receive TV broadcasts and play back recorded video content can do. When the video data is displayed, the information processing apparatus extracts character information included in the display video, and searches for other contents stored on a network such as the Internet using the character information as a search keyword. be able to.

  Hereinafter, a case where the information processing apparatus is applied to a display device such as a digital television will be described as an example. The case where the display device receives a TV broadcast or the like and displays video data of the received content will be described as an example. However, the information processing apparatus according to each embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this display apparatus, and the video data is not limited to video data broadcast on TV.

<First Embodiment>
First, with reference to FIG.1 and FIG.2, the structure of the display apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. 1 and 2 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the configuration of the display device according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a display device 100, which is an example of a device to which the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is applied, transmits video data such as TV broadcast transmitted from a broadcasting station 200 to an antenna 310 or a cable 320. Receive via. In addition, the display device 100 displays video recorded on an external device 330 (including a recording medium read by the external device 330) from an external device 330 such as a video player, a video deck, an HDD recorder, a DVD player, or a DVD recorder. Get the data.

  Furthermore, the display device 100 can be connected to a network 400 such as the Internet. The display device 100 can be connected to the search server 500 and the information providing server 600 via the network 400.

The search server 500 is an example of a server that searches the network 400 for keywords. More specifically, the search server 500 responds to a search request input from another device connected via the network 400, and includes an HP (on the network) including a search keyword (an example of character information) input from the device. Network search for information indicating where on the network is stored), and the search result is output to the device. Here, as an example of information indicating where the data is stored on the network, a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) is output.
That is, the display device 100 can search for a URI or the like of an HP including a search keyword using the search server.

  The search server 500 may output information related to the HP searched together with the URI, for example, texts and images before and after the search keyword to other devices. The search server 500 does not need to newly install a specific server, and may be any existing search server connected to the network 400. Further, the display device 100 does not need to access a specific search server 500, and can select a search server to be used for a search from a plurality of search servers connected to the network 400.

  Note that the search target 500 (contents on the network) is described using HP as an example here, but the contents on this network include not only HP but also music data, text data, images, for example. This includes all contents such as data that are disclosed on the network and can be searched by a search keyword.

  The information providing server 600 is a server that accumulates various information and publishes it on the network. Here, description will be made assuming that the disclosed information is, for example, HP. Each HP is specified by a URI. Therefore, the search server 500 searches for whether or not the search keyword is included in the HP published on the network, and specifies the URI.

  On the other hand, the display device 100 acquires an operation signal for operating the display device 100 from a remote controller (hereinafter also referred to as “remote controller”) 700. That is, the user can operate the display device 100 by operating the remote controller 700. The display device 100 may acquire the operation signal from not only the remote control 700 but also from, for example, an operation panel or operation buttons arranged on the display device 100, a pointer such as a mouse pointer, a touch screen, or the like. For convenience of explanation, the display device 100 will be described as acquiring an operation signal from the remote control 700. Hereinafter, the remote controller 700 has a “search button”, a “select button”, a “detail button”, and “move buttons” in the up / down / left / right directions. 700 is described as outputting an operation signal corresponding to the pressed button, but the buttons of the remote control 700 are not limited to this example.

(Configuration of display device 100)
Next, the configuration of the display device 100 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the display device 100 includes a broadcast data acquisition unit 111A, an external data acquisition unit 111B, a demultiplexer 112, an audio decoder 113A, a data decoder 113B, a video decoder 113C, and a frame control unit 114A. A display control unit 115, an audio output unit 116, a display unit 117, an operation signal receiving unit 118, a search unit 120, and a network communication unit 133.

  The broadcast data acquisition unit 111A acquires broadcast data that the broadcast station 200 broadcasts and is input via the antenna 310 or the cable 320, for example. The demultiplexer 112 demultiplexes the broadcast data transmitted by combining information data such as video data, audio data, and EPC (electronic program guide) into separate streams of video data, audio data, and information data. To do.

  The external data acquisition unit 111B acquires external data recorded in the external device 330. This external data includes at least video data, and may also include audio data / information data.

  In the case of digital broadcasting, for example, MPEG1, MPEG2, H. The data is encoded or transmitted according to a standard such as H.264. Further, the video data is time-divided into a plurality of frame images (hereinafter also simply referred to as “frames”). For example, MPEG1, MPEG2, H. In standards such as H.264, in order to reduce the amount of data, the video data is 1 by referring to a frame (for example, an I picture or an I frame) in which one frame can be displayed and a frame before and after the frame. A frame (for example, a B picture or a P picture) that can display one image is included. Note that, for example, inter-frame prediction and motion compensation techniques are used in these compressed video data. The B picture and the P picture include a signal (difference information) representing a difference between frames and information (motion vector and the like) used in a motion compensation (interframe prediction) technique. The B picture displays one frame based on the image displayed as the immediately preceding I picture and the information included in the nearest future P picture. Hereinafter, an I picture will be described as an example of a frame that can display one image by itself, and a B picture will be described as an example of a frame that can display one image by referring to the preceding and following frames. Needless to say, the names of these frames may differ depending on the compression format.

  The audio decoder 113A decodes (decodes) the audio data input from the demultiplexer 112 or the external data acquisition unit 111B. The decoded audio data is output from an audio output unit 116 such as a speaker. The audio output unit 116 includes an amplifier, for example.

  The data decoder 113B decodes the information data input from the demultiplexer 112 or the external data acquisition unit 111B. The decoded information data is sent to the display control unit 115, and the display control unit 115 causes the display unit 117 to display the data as necessary.

  The video decoder 113C is, for example, MPEG1, MPEG2, H.264, or the like. The video data compressed in a format such as H.264 is decoded.

  The frame control unit 114A is an example of a memory control unit, and controls a frame of video data decoded by the video decoder 113C. More specifically, the frame control unit 114A is connected to a first frame storage unit 114B and a second frame storage unit 114C (an example of a memory unit) that operate as a frame buffer. Then, the frame control unit 114A outputs the video data frames decoded by the video decoder 113C to the display control unit 115, and sequentially records them in the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the frame control unit 114A records frames from the current time (current time) T to N seconds (10 seconds in FIG. 3) before. Therefore, this recorded frame is updated while the user is displaying video on the display device 100. The length (N seconds) of the video data recorded by the frame control unit 114A can be changed as appropriate.

  The frame to be recorded by the frame control unit 114A is an I picture frame. Also, the frame control unit 114A sequentially erases the frames stored in the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C from those having the longest retroactive time as time elapses. In other words, the frame control unit 114A erases the frames recorded in the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C so that the time interval of the past representative frames recorded is widened. And used as a storage capacity for a new frame.

  That is, at a certain time T, as shown in FIG. 3, the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C has, for example, an I picture at time T and a time T-1 (1 Seconds), an I picture at time T-2 (2 seconds before), an I picture at time T-5 (5 seconds before), and an I picture at time T-10 (10 seconds before). . Further, the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C has one or more past (may be the future) near the above I picture as a frame accompanying them. Each I picture is recorded. Then, the past representative frame and the accompanying frame are erased so that the time interval between the representative frames becomes wider as time passes.

  Thus, by making the frame recorded in the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C finer as it is closer to the current time T, and rougher as it leaves the past from this time T, the first frame storage unit 114B Alternatively, the amount of data recorded in the second frame storage unit 114C can be reduced. Note that a representative frame can be set, for example, as an I picture at time T and an I picture retroactive from the time T by a predetermined time (eg, 1 second, 2 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, etc.). Further, the frames accompanying these representative frames can be set to a predetermined number of past (or future) temporally close to the representative frames or I pictures in a predetermined time. In other words, it is preferable to set the accompanying frame to be another I picture displaying the same scene as the representative frame. Note that a scene here refers to a collection of a plurality of frames in which image data represented in a frame does not change significantly, such as video data shot by the same camera at the same shooting location. Say.

  The frames recorded in the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C are used during the search operation by the search unit 120 described below. Therefore, when the search operation of the search unit 120 is started, the frame control unit 114A switches the storage unit for recording the frame between the first frame storage unit 114B and the second frame storage unit 114C. That is, when the search operation of the search unit 120 is started while the frame is being recorded in the first frame storage unit 114B, the frame recorded in the first frame storage unit 114B is the search operation in the search unit 120. Used for. On the other hand, the frame control unit 114A continues to record the reproduced frame in the second frame storage unit 114B. Therefore, when the search unit 120 starts the search operation again, this time, the frame recorded in the second frame storage unit 114B can be used. By providing the two buffers in this way, the frame control unit 114A can continuously record frames that continue to flow, and the search unit 120 can acquire the frames to be searched without omission.

  The display control unit 115 receives the video data decoded by the video decoder 113C and causes the display unit 117 to display the video. In addition to the video data frame, the display control unit 115 can also display information data decoded by the data decoder 113B and predetermined information related to the operation described below and the operation of the display device 100. The display control unit 115 can also cause the display unit 117 to perform multi-screen display such as two-screen display. The display control unit 115 may also operate according to the operation signal acquired by the operation signal receiving unit 118.

  The display unit 117 has a display screen, is controlled by the display control unit 115, and displays an image output from the display control unit 115. The display unit 117 includes, for example, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), a field emission display (FED), and organic electroluminescence. It may be a luminescence display (organic EL, OELD: Organic Electroluminescence Display), a video projector, or the like. The display control unit 115 and the display unit 117 are examples of display means.

  The operation signal receiving unit 118 receives various operation signals output from the remote controller 700, for example. This operation signal is used for a normal operation (for example, display of video data on the display device 100), a search operation described later, and the like.

  That is, video data is displayed by the broadcast data acquisition unit 111A or the external data acquisition unit 111B, the video decoder 113C, the frame control unit 114A, the display control unit 115, the display unit 117, and the operation signal reception unit 118. More specifically, for example, an input line or a broadcast channel to be displayed is determined by a predetermined operation signal input from the operation signal receiving unit 118, and the broadcast data acquisition unit 111A or the external data acquisition unit 111B is determined based on the determination. Acquires video data. Then, the video decoder 113C decodes the video data, and outputs the decoded video data to the display control unit 115 via the frame control unit 114A. Then, the display control unit 115 causes the display unit 117 to display this video data.

  The search unit 120 includes a frame acquisition unit 121, a frame analysis unit 123, a character recognition unit 124, a keyword storage unit 125, a search control unit 131, a search server information storage unit 132, and a preference data storage unit 134. Have.

The frame acquisition unit 121 sequentially acquires a plurality of frames including a search keyword in response to a user operation or automatically.
More specifically, the frame acquisition unit 121 outputs a frame acquisition request to the frame control unit 114A automatically in response to a user operation, and the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C. A plurality of representative frames (for example, the I picture shown in FIG. 3) stored in the frame control unit 114A are acquired. That is, when the frame control unit 114A acquires the frame acquisition request from the frame acquisition unit 121, the frame control unit 114A determines the frame closest to the timing at which the request is acquired and the frame stored within a predetermined retroactive time with reference to this frame. , Read from the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C. At this time, the frame control unit 114A switches the recording frame between the first frame storage unit 114B and the second frame storage unit 114C. Then, the frame control unit 114A outputs the acquired plurality of representative frames to the display control unit 115. The display control unit 115 displays the acquired plurality of representative frames on the display unit 117.

  When the operation signal receiving unit 118 receives an operation signal indicating which frame is to be searched, the frame acquisition unit 121 and the representative frame represented by the operation signal and the representative frame are displayed. A plurality of frames including a frame attached to the frame acquisition unit 121 is acquired from the frame acquisition unit 121. On the other hand, when the operation signal reception unit 118 does not receive the operation signal, the frame acquisition unit 121 includes a plurality of frames including a representative frame at the time T when the frame acquisition request is output and a frame associated with the representative frame. Are acquired from the frame acquisition unit 121. Then, the frame acquisition unit 121 outputs the acquired plurality of frames to the frame analysis unit 123. An example of the frame acquired by the frame acquisition unit 121 is shown in FIGS. In addition, the plurality of frames acquired by the frame acquisition unit 121 are preferably frames representing the same scene.

  The frame acquisition unit 121 outputs the frame acquisition request using a predetermined operation signal (for example, corresponding to pressing of the search button) received by the operation signal receiving unit 118 as a trigger. In other words, the frame acquisition unit 121 causes the frame control unit 114A to acquire the frame at the time point T when the operation signal reception unit 118 receives the predetermined operation signal and the frame up to N seconds before that (FIG. 3). reference.).

  Further, as described above, the operation signal receiving unit 118 receives a predetermined operation signal for a frame acquired by the frame control unit 114A, that is, a frame recorded in the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C. The closer to the received time point T, the finer it becomes, and the farther away from this time point T, the rougher it becomes.

  The frame analysis unit 123 is an example of an image region extraction unit, and analyzes a plurality of frames acquired by the frame acquisition unit 121 (a plurality of frames including one representative frame and a frame attached thereto) An area (also referred to as a character information area) including character information that can be a search keyword for searching for content related to video data on the network 400 is extracted. For this purpose, the frame analysis unit 123 performs the following two-stage extraction, for example.

(First extraction)
First, as a first-stage extraction, the frame analysis unit 123 extracts a region where the difference between a plurality of frames is small, that is, a region where the image data does not change between the plurality of frames. That is, the character information that can be a search keyword included in the video data often does not change without being deformed or moved, such as the character information W shown in FIGS. On the other hand, the video displayed in the area not including the search keyword may change and change as the plurality of frames elapse as the moving object M shown in FIGS. Many. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the frame analysis unit 123 extracts a region A (region including character information W) in which the difference between frames is smaller than other regions (region including the moving object M).

  Thus, by extracting an area where the video does not move, that is, the image data does not change (also referred to as a still area), the amount of data to be processed in the character recognition unit 124 described later is reduced, and the time required for the process is reduced. It can be shortened and the processing performance of the apparatus can be improved.

  Note that in the first-stage extraction, when there is no region in which image data changes (also referred to as a change region), the frame analysis unit 123 may extract all the regions included in the frame, for example. On the other hand, in the first stage extraction, when there is no still region (for example, region A), the frame analysis unit 123, for example, the frame acquired by the frame acquisition unit 121 from the frame control unit 114A, that is, the frame at time T All regions included in the frame represented by the operation signal may be extracted.

(Second extraction)
Next, as the second stage extraction, the frame analysis unit 123 determines whether or not the image data (image region) included in the frame includes a predetermined pattern shape (hereinafter also simply referred to as “pattern”). More specifically, the frame analysis unit 123 detects a predetermined pattern of the image data included in the frame and extracts a region including the pattern. That is, the frame analysis unit 123 determines whether or not a predetermined pattern is included in the extracted region when the first extraction is performed, and the entire frame when the first extraction is not performed. To detect. Then, if a predetermined pattern is included, the frame analysis unit 123 extracts (extracts) an area including the pattern as an area including character information that can be a search keyword. Then, the frame analysis unit 123 outputs information on the image included in the area to the character recognition unit 124.

  The region including this pattern preferably includes the inside of the pattern and a region separated from the pattern by a predetermined distance. Further, the separation distance from this pattern may be set by statistically deriving a distance that can include character information.

  More specifically, the second extraction will be described. In general, character information that can be a search keyword included in a CM or the like is included in a box B shaped like a search keyword input field on an Internet search site, as shown in FIGS. In many cases. Therefore, for example, the frame analysis unit 123 specifies the box B as a predetermined pattern, and extracts a region in the vicinity of the box B (including the inside of the box B). That is, the predetermined pattern (predetermined shape) refers to a shape that can remind the user of the search keyword input field in the search site. Note that the predetermined pattern is not limited to this box B. When there are various search keyword input fields that are normally used, or when a new search keyword entry field is used, these patterns are used. It is also possible to determine a predetermined pattern so that all are included.

  More specifically, when the predetermined pattern is box B, the frame analysis unit 123 sequentially determines the following conditions in order to specify whether the image data is box B, for example.

(Condition 1) There is a rectangle or a rectangle with rounded corners (hereinafter also referred to as rectangle B), and there is a rectangle close to the rectangle B or a rectangle with rounded corners (rectangle C). Preferably in the direction or down).
(Condition 2) The width of the rectangle C in the left-right direction is shorter than the width of the rectangle B in the left-right direction.
(Condition 3) The height of the rectangle C in the vertical direction is substantially equal to the height of the rectangle B in the vertical direction.

  Then, the frame analysis unit 123 extracts a region in the vicinity of the pattern, assuming that there is a high possibility that the pattern that satisfies many of the above conditions is the box B. For example, when there are a plurality of patterns that satisfy the condition, the frame analysis unit 123 may extract a region including the plurality of patterns, and when there is no pattern that satisfies the conditions, the second extraction target All of the regions that have become may be extracted.

  By specifying an area (character information area) that can contain character information that can be a search keyword in this way, the amount of data to be processed in the character recognition unit 124, which will be described later, is reduced, and the time required for the process is reduced. And the amount of information that can be a search keyword can be reduced.

  The character recognition unit 124 is an example of a character information extraction unit, and performs character recognition on the region (character information region) extracted by the frame analysis unit 123, and extracts character information included in the region. Then, the character recognition unit 124 outputs the extracted character information to the display control unit 115 and the search control unit 131. At this time, the character recognition unit 124 may record the extracted character information in the keyword storage unit 125. The character recognition unit 124 may acquire information data included in the data decoder 113B, extract character information that can be a search keyword from the information data, and record the character information in the keyword storage unit 125. The keyword storage unit 125 can also function as a buffer in the character information recognition process.

  Note that the character recognition unit 124 may extract a plurality of pieces of character information. When a plurality of pieces of character information are extracted, a priority order is added to each piece of character information. As this priority order, for example, a high priority order may be added to the character information included in the box B, and a lower priority order may be added as the distance from the box B increases. Further, when there is character information composed only of alphanumeric characters and periods (.) As priorities, a higher priority may be added to the character information. Furthermore, a priority order may be added according to the character size. It is also possible to add priorities according to the extracted order.

  The character recognition performed by the character recognition unit 124 may be performed by a process similar to pattern matching performed by, for example, OCR (Optical Character Recognition), BCR (Bar Code Reader), or CRU.

  The search control unit 131 is an example of a search unit, and searches for an HP on the network (an example of content on the network) via the network communication unit 133 that can be connected to the network 400. At this time, the search control unit 131 performs a network search using the character information extracted by the character recognition unit 124 as a search keyword. When the character recognition unit 124 extracts a plurality of pieces of character information, first, a search is performed using character information having a high priority, and an operation signal representing other character information is obtained from the operation signal reception unit 118. In that case, a search is performed using the character information.

  More specifically, the search control unit 131 causes the search server 500 to search using the character information as a search keyword via the network communication unit 133 and the network 400, and causes the network communication unit 133 to acquire the search result of the search server 500. . On the other hand, the network communication unit 133 outputs the search result to the display control unit 115. When the network communication unit 133 acquires an operation signal designating an HP on the network from the operation signal receiving unit 118, the network communication unit 133 acquires information published on the HP from the information providing server 600 via the network 400. To the search control unit 131. Then, the search control unit 131 outputs information received on the received HP to the display control unit 115. The network communication unit 133 may be configured by, for example, an HTML browser.

  The search control unit 131 can also change the search server 500 used for the network search. More specifically, the search control unit 131 is connected to the search server information storage unit 132, and the search server information storage unit 132 stores information on selectable search servers 500 as shown in FIG. List) is recorded. As information of the search server 500, for example, the URI of the search server can be cited. Then, the search control unit 131 may acquire information on the search server 500 from the search server information storage unit 132, and may newly set a search server 500 different from the currently set search server 500.

  Further, the search control unit 131 stores the character string used as the search keyword and information for specifying the HP acquired by the network communication unit 133 (for example, the URI and the content itself) as the preference data of the user. It may be recorded in the unit 134. The preference data recorded in the preference data storage unit 134 is used, for example, when analyzing user preferences, performing character recognition processing in the character recognition unit 124, or adding priority to the character information. May be.

  The configuration of the display device 100 that is an example of a device to which the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is applied has been described above. Next, the operation of the display device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

(Normal operation of display device 100)
First, a normal operation of the display device 100 according to the present embodiment, that is, an operation of the display device 100 when the user is viewing broadcast data or external data will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a normal operation of the display device according to the present embodiment.

  When the power of the display device 100 is turned on, first, when the broadcast data acquisition unit 111A acquires broadcast data and the operation signal received by the operation signal reception unit 118 indicates viewing of the broadcast data, the demultiplexer 112 separates the broadcast data into video data, audio data, and information data streams. Each data is sent to a corresponding decoder. On the other hand, when the external data acquisition unit 111B acquires external data and the operation signal received by the operation signal reception unit 118 represents viewing of external data, video data, audio data, and information data included in the external data are also included. Are sent to corresponding decoders. Then, the process of step S01 is performed. In the following, a case where broadcast data is acquired by the broadcast data acquisition unit 111A will be described as an example.

  In step S01, the audio decoder 113A decodes the audio data and causes the audio output unit 116 to output it. Then, the data decoder 113B decodes the information data and outputs it to the display control unit 115. Further, the video decoder 113C decodes the video data and outputs it to the frame control unit 114A.

  Next, the process of step S03 is performed, and the frame control unit 114A records the frames included in the decoded video data in the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C. Further, the frame control unit 114A outputs the decoded video data to the display control unit 115. Then, the process proceeds to step S05.

  In step S05, the display control unit 115 causes the display unit 117 to display a frame included in the video data at a timing for displaying the frame. At the same time, the audio output unit 116 outputs the audio data decoded by the audio decoder 113A at a timing at which the audio data should be output. In addition, the display control unit 115 causes the display unit 117 to display the information data decoded by the data decoder 113B when the operation signal received by the operation signal receiving unit 118 represents the display of the information data.

  Then, the process proceeds to step S07, and the display control unit 115 or the upper control device confirms whether the power is turned off. When the power is turned off, the display device 100 ends the operation, and when the power is not turned off, the processes after step S01 are repeated.

(Example of search operation of display device 100)
Next, the search operation of the display device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9A to 9D. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a search operation of the display device according to the present embodiment. 9A to 9D are explanatory diagrams for explaining examples of display screens displayed on the display unit in an example of the search operation of the display device according to the present embodiment.

  In an example of the search operation of the display device 100, the search operation of the display device 100 is started with a predetermined operation signal (for example, corresponding to pressing of the search button) received by the operation signal receiving unit 118 as a trigger. That is, when the operation signal receiving unit 118 receives a predetermined operation signal indicating “search”, the frame acquisition unit 121 outputs a frame acquisition request to the frame control unit 114A, and the processes after step S101 are performed.

  In step S101, the frame control unit 114A switches the storage unit used for frame recording between the first frame storage unit 114B and the second frame storage unit 114C. In step S103, the frame control unit 114A acquires a plurality of recorded frames from the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C that have been used for recording, and the plurality of frames. Is displayed on the display unit 117 by the display control unit 115. At this time, the display control unit 115 causes the display unit 117 to display a plurality of frames as reduced images in a predetermined arrangement pattern, as shown in FIG. 9A, for example. An example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 117 during the processing of steps S101 and S103 is shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B.

  First, in the state where the display unit 117 displays the broadcast data frame F1 shown in FIG. 9A, the user determines that, for example, a search keyword or the like to be searched for the Internet is displayed in the frame F1. When the “search button” on the remote controller 700 is pressed, the operation signal receiving unit 118 receives a predetermined operation signal output from the remote controller 700. Then, the processing of step S101 and step S103 is performed, and the display image shown in FIG. 9B is displayed on the display unit 117. That is, the display control unit 115 switches the mode of the display unit 117 to a two-screen mode (a mode of two or more screens). For example, the left screen L of the display unit 117 displays the broadcast data being viewed. A frame is displayed, and a plurality of frames F1 to F5 recorded in the first frame storage unit 114B or the second frame storage unit 114C acquired by the frame control unit 114A are displayed on the right screen R of the display unit 117.

Then, the next step S105 is processed.
That is, in this step S105, the frame acquisition unit 121 confirms whether or not the operation signal reception unit 118 has received an operation signal indicating selection of one frame. More specifically, the user refers to the image shown in FIG. 9B and presses the “move button”, “select button”, etc. on the top, bottom, left and right of the remote control 700 to display the character information desired as the search keyword. 1 frame is selected. In response to this selection operation, the remote controller 700 outputs a predetermined operation signal, and the operation signal receiving unit 118 receives this operation signal. Therefore, the frame acquisition unit 121 determines whether or not one frame has been selected based on whether or not this operation signal has been received. If one frame is selected, the process proceeds to step S109. If one frame is not selected even after a predetermined time interval has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S107 before step S109.

  In step S107, the frame acquisition unit 121 displays the frame at the time when the search operation is started, that is, the frame displayed when the user presses the “search button” on the remote control 700 (for example, the frame in FIG. 9A). Select instead of one frame to select. Then, the process proceeds to step S109.

  In step S <b> 109, the frame acquisition unit 121 outputs a plurality of frames including the selected one frame and the previous frame (may include subsequent frames) to the frame analysis unit 123. Then, the next step S111 is processed. In step S111, the frame analysis unit 123 performs the first extraction and the second extraction to extract a character information area. Further, the frame analysis unit 123 outputs the extracted image data of the character information area to the character recognition unit 124, and proceeds to the next step S113.

  In step S113, the character recognition unit 124 performs character recognition on the character information area and extracts character information included in the area. In step S 115, the character recognition unit 124 records the extracted character information in the keyword storage unit 125 as a search keyword candidate and outputs it to the search control unit 131. As described above, when a plurality of pieces of character information are extracted, the character recognizing unit 124 records each character information with a priority added thereto, and outputs it. Then, the process proceeds to step S117.

  In step S117, the search control unit 131 selects one search keyword from the plurality of extracted character information. At this time, the search control unit 131 selects character information having a high priority as a search keyword. Then, the process proceeds to step S119.

  In step S117, the search control unit 131 may select character information represented by the operation signal received by the operation signal receiving unit 118, for example. In this case, the search control unit 131 outputs the plurality of character information recorded in the keyword storage unit 125 to the display control unit 115, and the display control unit 115 causes the display unit 117 to display the plurality of character information. Then, the user selects character information displayed on the display unit 117, and the remote controller 700 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the selection.

  In step S119, the search control unit 131 performs a network search based on the search keyword selected in step S117. More specifically, the search control unit 131 connects to the search server 500 via the network communication unit 133 using information of the search server 500 that has already been set. Then, the search control unit 131 outputs the search keyword to the search server 500, and searches HP on the network based on the search keyword. After the process of step S119, the process proceeds to step S121.

  In step S <b> 121, the search control unit 131 acquires data representing a search result (also referred to as search result data) from the search server 500 via the network communication unit 133 and outputs the data to the display control unit 115. In step S123, the display control unit 115 causes the display unit 117 to display search result data. An example of the display screen of the display unit 117 displaying the search result is shown in FIG. 9C. As shown in FIG. 9C, the display control unit 115 displays the frame of the broadcast data being viewed on the left screen L of the display unit 117 while the display screen of the display unit 117 is set to the two-screen display mode. On the other hand, search result data is displayed on the right screen R of the display unit 117. The search result data may include, for example, information for specifying the HP on the network (for example, URI) and a part or all of the information disclosed on the HP. Then, a link to the HP is pasted on a part of the information. After the process of step S123, the process proceeds to step S125.

  In step S125, the search control unit 131 confirms whether other character information has been selected as a new search keyword. More specifically, when the user presses the “detail button” on the remote control 700 while the display screen shown in FIG. 9C is displayed on the display unit 117, the remote control 700 responds to the press of the “detail button”. An operation signal is output, and the operation signal receiving unit 118 receives this operation signal. Then, the search control unit 131 acquires character information of a plurality of search keyword candidates recorded in the keyword storage unit 125 and outputs it to the display control unit 115. Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 9D, the display control unit 115 displays a plurality of character information on the right screen R of the display unit 117. The user selects desired character information to be used as a search keyword by, for example, pressing the “move button” and “select button” of the remote controller 700 with reference to the displayed plurality of character information. The remote controller 700 outputs an operation signal representing the selected character information, and the operation signal receiving unit 118 receives this operation signal. Then, the search control unit 131 selects the character information represented by the operation signal as a new search keyword, and sequentially processes step S119, step S121, and step S123 again. On the other hand, when a new search keyword is not selected as described above, the process proceeds to step S129.

  In step S129, the search control unit 131 acquires HP selection information. This HP selection information is output from the remote control 700 operated by the user to select a desired HP while referring to the display screen shown in FIG. 9C, for example. Then, the search control unit 131 acquires this HP selection information via the operation signal receiving unit 118. Then, the process proceeds to step S131.

  In step S <b> 131, the search control unit 131 uses the HP URI represented in the HP selection information to acquire information disclosed on the HP and outputs the information to the display control unit 115. In step S133, the display control unit 115 displays the information disclosed on the HP on the right screen R of the display unit 117 shown in FIG. 9C, for example. Then, the display device 100 ends the search operation.

(Search server 500 switching operation)
In the search operation described above, the search server 500 used for the search operation has been described as being set in advance. However, the display device 100 according to the present embodiment can switch the search server 500 used for the search operation. Therefore, hereinafter, the switching operation of the search server 500 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the search server switching operation of the display device according to the present embodiment.

  First, step S201 is processed, and the search control unit 131 acquires an operation signal indicating a search server change request. That is, when changing the search server 500, the user operates the remote controller 700 to output an operation signal representing a search server change request. The operation signal receiving unit 118 receives this operation signal and outputs it to the search control unit 131, and the search control unit 131 acquires this operation signal. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S203.

  In step S <b> 203, the search control unit 131 acquires a list of search servers 500 (information on selectable search servers 500 as shown in FIG. 6) recorded in the search server information storage unit 132, and the display control unit 115. Output to. Then, the display control unit 115 displays the list of the search server 500 on the display unit 117.

  Then, the user who refers to the displayed list of search servers 500 operates the remote controller 700 to select one search server 500 in the list. Then, the remote controller 700 outputs an operation signal (search server selection information) representing the selected search server 500.

  In step S <b> 205, the search control unit 131 acquires search server selection information via the operation signal receiving unit 118. Then, the process of step S207 is performed, and the search control unit 131 updates the information of the search server 500 used for the search operation. Therefore, the user can change the search server 500 used for the search to a desired search server.

(Example of effects by the display device according to the present embodiment)
The display device 100 that is an example of the device to which the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is applied has been described above. According to such a display device 100, it is possible to perform a network search by extracting a search keyword from video data included in broadcast data, external data, or the like. Therefore, it is possible to search for and acquire HPs on the network without changing broadcast data or external data, or newly arranging a separate database or the like.

  At this time, the display device 100 can reduce the amount of calculation for character information recognition processing by performing frame analysis. Therefore, the time required for the search operation can be shortened. Furthermore, since the apparatus can be configured without requiring a very high processing speed, an increase in manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention has been described above.
In the information processing apparatus (display apparatus 100) according to the first embodiment, a case has been described in which the search operation is performed using an operation signal output from the remote controller 700 in response to a user operation. Therefore, after receiving the operation signal, frame analysis processing (character information area extraction processing in step S111) and character information recognition processing (character information extraction processing in step S113) are performed. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the search keyword may continue to be detected while video data is being displayed on the display unit 117 regardless of the operation signal. Therefore, an information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention that performs such an operation will be described below. However, also in the second embodiment, a display device will be described as an example of a device to which the information processing device is applied. The display device according to the second embodiment can also be configured in the same manner as the configuration of the display device 100 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on differences from the first embodiment.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a normal operation and a search operation of the display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  When the power is turned on, the display device according to the present embodiment first operates in the same manner as the display device 100 according to the first embodiment, and processes step S01, step S03, and step S05 (see FIG. 7). .) Thereafter, step S301 is processed.

  In step S301, the frame acquisition unit 121 acquires the current frame (current frame) from the frame control unit 114A. At this time, the frame acquisition unit 121 acquires an I frame. In this embodiment, the frame control unit 114A, the first frame storage unit 114B, and the second frame storage unit 114C are not necessarily required. The frame acquisition unit 121 may receive the current frame from the video decoder 113C, for example. Good. Then, the process proceeds to step S111.

  Step S111 and subsequent steps S113 and S115 are processed after receiving the operation signal in the display device 100 according to the first embodiment. However, the display device according to the present embodiment includes steps S111 to S111. S115 is always processed. That is, while the user is viewing the broadcast data or the like, the processing in steps S111 to S115 is performed, and the character information displayed in each frame of the video data is always extracted and stored in the keyword storage unit 125. To be recorded. Thus, the keyword storage unit 125 stores character information included in the broadcast data being viewed.

  A user who wants to perform a network search presses a “search button” on the remote control 700, for example. Then, the remote control 700 outputs an operation signal representing a search request. On the other hand, after the processing of step S115, the process proceeds to step S303, and the search control unit 131 confirms whether or not the operation signal representing the search request output from the remote controller 700 has been acquired via the operation signal receiving unit 118. If an operation signal representing a search request has been acquired, the process proceeds to step S305. On the other hand, if the operation signal representing the search request has not been acquired, the processes after step S01 are performed again. However, even when the process proceeds to step S305, steps S01 to S115 may be processed in parallel with the processes after step S305.

  In step S <b> 305, the search control unit 131 acquires character information recorded in the keyword storage unit 125 and outputs it to the display control unit 115. Then, the display control unit 115 causes the display unit 117 to display this character information. An example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 117 during the processing of step S303 and step S305 is shown in FIGS. 9A, 12A, and 12B.

  First, when the display unit 117 displays the broadcast data frame F1 shown in FIG. 9A and the user presses the “search button” of the remote control 700 to search the Internet, for example, the operation signal receiving unit Reference numeral 118 receives a predetermined operation signal output from the remote controller 700. Then, the processing of step S303 and step S305 is performed, and the display image shown in FIG. 12A is displayed on the display unit 117. That is, the display control unit 115 switches the mode of the display unit 117 to a two-screen mode (a mode of two or more screens). For example, the left screen L of the display unit 117 displays the broadcast data being viewed. A frame is displayed, and character information WL1 extracted from the frame and accumulated in the keyword storage unit 125 is displayed as a list on the right screen R of the display unit 117. Further, when the character recognition unit 124 is extracting character information from the information data, the display control unit 115 is extracted from the information data and stored in the keyword storage unit 125 on the right screen R of the display unit 117. Character information WL2 is also displayed (see FIG. 12A). At this time, if the search keyword included in the character information WL2 extracted from the information data is included in the character information WL1 extracted from the frame, the display control unit 115 searches the redundant search from the character information W1. All the keywords are removed, and duplicate search keywords are removed from the display target on the display unit 117. Thus, by not displaying the search keyword which overlaps with the character information WL1 and the character information WL2, it is not necessary to display extra information when the user selects the search keyword, and the operability is improved. In addition, the number of pieces of information that can be displayed on one screen can be increased.

  The next step S307 is processed, and the search control unit 131 selects a search keyword from the character information recorded in the keyword storage unit 125. More specifically, the user refers to the character information displayed on the display unit 117 and operates the remote controller 700 to select character information to be used as a search keyword (see FIG. 12B). Then, the remote controller 700 outputs an operation signal representing the selected character information. Then, the search control unit 131 acquires an operation signal via the operation signal reception unit 118, and selects character information represented in the operation signal as a search keyword. Then, the process proceeds to step S119. The processes after step S119 are the same as the processes in the search operation performed by the display device 100 according to the first embodiment, except that step S127 (a process for confirming whether or not a new frame is selected) is not performed ( (See FIG. 8).

  In the above, the display apparatus which is an example of the apparatus to which the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is applied has been described. According to such a display device, in addition to the effects that can be achieved by the display device according to the first embodiment, character information to be searched is displayed, for example, when the remote control 700 is not at hand of the user. Even when the remote controller 700 cannot be operated for a while from the time when the remote control 700 cannot be operated (until the frame including the character information is deleted from the first frame storage unit 114B and the second frame storage unit 114C) Network search using various search keywords.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described in detail, referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this example. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the frame analysis unit 123 performs both the first extraction and the second extraction has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the frame analysis unit 123 may perform either the first extraction or the second extraction. For example, when these extractions are not performed, the search unit 120 does not have to include the frame analysis unit 123.

  In the above embodiment, the case has been described in which the frame acquisition unit 121 acquires an I picture, and the frame analysis unit 123 uses this I picture to extract a character information area (still area). However, the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the frame acquisition unit 121 may extract a still area by referring to frames before and after such as a B picture and a P picture together with an I picture. In this case, the frame analysis unit 123 includes a signal (difference information) representing a difference between frames included in a B picture, a P picture, or the like, or information (motion vector or the like) used in motion compensation (interframe prediction) technology. Based on the above, a still area in the I picture may be extracted.

  In addition, the series of processes described in the above embodiments may be executed by dedicated hardware, but may be executed by software. When a series of processing is performed by software, the above-described series of processing can be realized by causing a general-purpose or dedicated computer as shown in FIG. 13 to execute the program.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a configuration example of a computer that realizes a series of processes by executing a program. The execution of a program for performing a series of processes by a computer will be described as follows.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the computer includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 902, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 903, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) connected via a bus 901, an input / output interface 906, and the like. 904, a recording device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) 905, a network communication unit 133 connected to a network 400 such as a LAN (Local Area Network), the Internet, a remote controller 700, a mouse / keyboard (not shown), etc. A drive 908 for reading and writing an input device 907, a flexible disk, various optical disks such as CD (Compact Disc), MO (Magneto Optical) disk, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), magnetic disk, and removable recording medium 909 such as semiconductor memory And output devices such as the display unit 117 and the audio output unit 116 To.

  The CPU 902 executes various processes in accordance with a program recorded in the recording device, a program received via the network 400, a program read from the removable recording medium 909, and the like, so that the series of processes described above is performed. Realized. At this time, the CPU 902 may perform various processes based on information and signals input from the input device 907 as necessary. Then, this processing result may be recorded in the above-described recording device, removable recording medium 909, or the like as necessary, may be output to an output device, or may be transmitted to the network 400.

  In this specification, the steps described in the flowcharts are executed in parallel or individually even if they are not necessarily processed in time series, as well as processes performed in time series in the described order. The processing to be performed is also included. Further, it goes without saying that the order can be appropriately changed even in the steps processed in time series.

It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the structure of the display apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a configuration of a display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for describing an example of a frame recorded in the display device according to the embodiment. FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the time change of an example of the display screen containing the character information which can become a search keyword. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the time change of an example of the display screen containing the character information which can become a search keyword. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the information of the search server recorded on the display apparatus which concerns on the same embodiment. It is an explanatory view for explaining operation of the information processor concerning the embodiment. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a search operation of the display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for describing an example of a display screen displayed on a display unit in an example of a search operation of the display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for describing an example of a display screen displayed on a display unit in an example of a search operation of the display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for describing an example of a display screen displayed on a display unit in an example of a search operation of the display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for describing an example of a display screen displayed on a display unit in an example of a search operation of the display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for describing an example of a search server switching operation of the display device according to the embodiment. FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating an example of search operation of the display apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. 4 is an explanatory diagram for describing an example of a display screen displayed on a display unit in an example of a search operation of the display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for describing an example of a display screen displayed on a display unit in an example of a search operation of the display device according to the embodiment. FIG. And FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a configuration example of a computer that realizes a series of processes by executing a program.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Display apparatus 111A Broadcast data acquisition part 111B External data acquisition part 112 Demultiplexer 113A Audio decoder 113B Data decoder 113C Video decoder 114A Frame control part 115 Display control part 116 Audio | voice output part 117 Display part 118 Operation signal receiving part 120 Search part 121 Frame Acquisition unit 123 Frame analysis unit 124 Character recognition unit 125 Keyword storage unit 131 Search control unit 132 Search server information storage unit 133 Network communication unit 134 Preference data storage unit 200 Broadcast station 310 Antenna 320 Cable 330 External device 400 Network 500 Search server 600 Information Providing server 700 Remote control 901 Bus 902 CPU
903 HDD
904 ROM
905 RAM
906 Input / output interface 907 Input device 908 Drive 909 Removable recording medium

Claims (9)

Display means for displaying video based on input video data on a display screen;
A frame acquisition unit that sequentially acquires frame images in response to a user operation or automatically from the video data;
An image area extraction unit that extracts an image area that is not different from the frame image of a predetermined number of times in each of the frame images acquired by the frame acquisition unit;
A character information extraction unit that extracts character information included in the image region extracted by the image region extraction unit;
A search unit for searching content on a network using the character information extracted by the character information extraction unit as a search keyword;
With
The information processing apparatus, wherein the display unit displays the content searched by the search unit on the display screen. The image area extraction unit determines whether or not the extracted image area includes a predetermined pattern shape,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character information extraction unit extracts character information included in the image region determined to include the predetermined pattern shape by the image region extraction unit. . The character information extraction unit, when there are a plurality of character information extracted from the image area, adds a priority according to a predetermined rule for each character information,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the search unit first searches for content corresponding to the character information having a high priority. The character information extraction unit, when there is a plurality of character information extracted from the image area, to display a list of the character information on the display screen,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the search unit searches for content corresponding to the character information specified in accordance with a user operation.   The display means displays each character information based on the information data received in association with the video data on the display screen, and the plurality of characters extracted by the character information extraction unit displayed as a list on the display screen 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein all character information identical to the character information based on the information data is removed from a display target from the character information. A memory unit for sequentially storing the frame images acquired by the frame acquisition unit;
A memory control unit that reads out the frame image closest to the user's operation timing among the frame images stored in the memory unit, and the frame images stored within a predetermined retroactive time with reference to the frame image When,
With
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays each frame image read by the memory control unit as a reduced image on the display screen in a predetermined arrangement pattern. .   The said memory control part deletes each said frame image memorize | stored in the said memory part sequentially from the thing with the long retroactive time from the said operation timing time of a user, The one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned. The information processing apparatus described in 1. Display the video based on the input video data on the display image,
Sequentially obtaining frame images in response to user operations or automatically from the video data,
In each of the acquired frame images, extract an image area having no difference from the frame image of a predetermined number before,
Extract character information contained in the extracted image area,
Search the content on the network using the extracted character information as a search keyword,
An information processing method comprising displaying the searched content on a display screen. Computer
Frame acquisition means for sequentially acquiring frame images in response to user operations or automatically from input video data;
Image area extraction means for extracting an image area that is not different from the predetermined number of frame images in each of the frame images acquired by the frame acquisition means;
Character information extracting means for extracting character information contained in the image area extracted by the image area extracting means;
Search means for searching content on a network using the character information extracted by the character information extraction means as a search keyword;
Display means for displaying the content searched by the search means on a display screen;
Program to function as.

Images