ES2202308T3 - PROCEDURE TO FIND OUT RADIO OJECTS AND RADIO DEVICES FOR THE SAME. - Google Patents

Abstract

To evaluate the audience behaviour to radio or TV programmes, listening samples are taken at particular times. These listening samples can detect the sound impressions actually received by a test person, on the one hand. For this purpose, the test person carries a portable monitor on his person. Furthermore, the receiving sets themselves can also carry such monitors, in which arrangement, apart from the acoustic pick-up of the listening samples, a direct electrical connection to the monitor is also possible. The listening samples are converted into digital form, compressed, transformed and, if necessary, coded by adequate methods. The listening samples are transmitted at relatively large time intervals to a central station where the listening samples are correlated with samples from the monitored programmes which are picked up at the same time. <IMAGE>

Description

Procedure to find out behaviors of Radio listeners and device for it.

The present invention refers to the sector of investigation of radio listener behaviors, and especially to a procedure to find out the respective programs heard.

In the field of public research of the television various procedures are known to find out the respective programs received and reproduced, as well as the identity of the spectators, who follow a reproduced program. There is also the possibility of identifying recordings in video and, at a later time, the program parts reproduced

Even when they are similar and, in principle, also applicable, such procedures are impracticable in the radio field. One reason for this is that each device television is controlled, which makes sense in terms of expenditure under the premise that there is a small number of devices home television (usually one to two), which has a fixed location Then control devices can be placed relatively expensive and on the corresponding television.

On the other hand, in a home there are usually several radio devices, which are also partly used outside the home. To them belong for example car radios, walkmans, The laptops Also, in department stores, markets, hotels, etc. The radio is often heard too. In addition, the bands frequency of radio programs are not determined in the whole country. To find out the program received through the tuning of a radio device, it would also be necessary to determine the place where it is located, and when assessing it take into account a long and continuous updated list of frequencies of Regional programming of the broadcast program.

Therefore, it makes no sense to apply a control of the reproduction of the devices, nor the usual system used in television receivers, to find out radio programs received through receiver adjustment.

US Patent 5,023,929 provides an apparatus by which tests of listen, for example 3 seconds, every 10 minutes. The test of Ambient noise is recorded decompressed on a magnetic tape. This device must be carried by the participant in the research, which given its size and weight represents true nuisance that can become unpleasant over time. Further, the device can be forgotten, which would produce gaps in the investigation.

The patent EP-A-299,711 indicates a Compression procedure for digital audio data. The procedure allows converting compressed, stored data in a semiconductor, in a high quality acoustic signal, between others by decompression. However, this procedure of Compression does not reduce information content. To do this it requires a relatively large warehouse, which involves ways relatively bulky construction in view of operation uninterrupted from a monitor for several days. In that case yet we must bear in mind that with the size of the warehouse also Energy need increases.

An object of the present invention is to provide a procedure to find out the behavior of the listener, which allows to determine the respective radio program heard, with independence of the listener's location.

A procedure is set forth in claim 1 that solves this object. The other claims contain advantageous embodiments, devices to carry the practice the procedure and applications of the procedure.

Accordingly, evidence is taken and stored listening acoustics in a listener's environment, to relate them subsequently with the corresponding shots of one or more programs For such correlation it is stored, together with the evidence listening, information about the moment they have been taken, or the listening tests are taken in a time grid previously defined, which indicates its start time, for example It is saved at the beginning of the listening shot. In order to reduce the warehouse needed for listening tests, preferably take and store, at certain times and only for a brief time interval.

The corresponding device, hereafter called a monitor, it can be placed in a radio receiver, and Moreover it can also be carried by the test person. The first variant is that you also find out how and who listen to the radio, that is if you are in close proximity enough. This can be done by entering data to the monitor, such as using a keyboard, a card encoded or a barcode reader, or even through a issuer of codes, provided by the person in the household of test.

The second variant, which allows to determine, without more, the monitor carried by the test person, is what is listening to the carrier or carrier of the monitor. Precondition for this procedure it is a small and light monitor, which by example can also be carried in a shirt pocket. Further, the monitor must be functioning long enough long. This requires storage capacity on the one hand. quite high and, on the other hand, due to its operation mobile, a power supply through batteries, eventually complemented by solar cells or others, in Accessible energy sources in mobile operation. For take advantage of these energy sources in the most economical way possible, listening tests are recorded exclusively in storage media that do not have any components mechanical, and especially no magnetic tape, etc.

However, storage media applicable, such as nonvolatile semiconductor memories or buffer batteries, has only a limited capacity and generally They store only digital data. Therefore, they are necessary appropriate procedures for stores as compact as possible and to reduce the volume of data. Taking short tests of listen, interrupted for relatively long periods with regarding them, it already significantly reduces the amount of data to store Another reduction can be achieved by limiting a small frequency band within the frequency range of Listen to the audio band.

After digital analog conversion can used other compression procedures, which may be executed by a processor. Among them are the generally applied data compression procedures, since known in the digital technique, as well as transformations, such as the (Fast-) Fourier transformation. In this case the mass of data reduction through the density of the points of support for.

Another aspect is data protection and persons. It is foreseeable that the test people are not willing to carry a device, or to have it even in your environment, which allows you to listen and record any word that say among others. In the process according to the invention already protection is provided due to short-term storage listening tests The other processing steps mentioned, such as the reduced control of the frequency band and the use of Transformations make it more difficult to follow a conversation. Finally, before storage the data can still be encrypted, and certainly advantageously according to a procedure not reversible.

Finding out the respective program heard it is carried out by comparing the listening tests with the tests of program recorded the same moment. For example, the tests of program can be taken in the broadcast study, at one point desired of the broadcast or also in a reception facility by cable, whose channel ordering is defined in a program. This should not be done through an intermediate acoustic stage, It can be done as desired. The essential thing is that  listening tests overlap temporarily with the tests on the program, and that the recorded data can lead to a form that allow for matching through a correlation procedure. In this way, program tests can be submitted immediately to the same procedure as the listening tests. Other possibility is to first store the program tests of a crude way and compare them with the listening tests in the moment of correlation. For this purpose they can also be used program tests for correlation with listening tests stored, which were compressed, transformed and / or encrypted in various ways

This is a condition that can be found the time of taking the listening tests and the tests of the program for the moment of correlation. The most simple to achieve is that, along with the tests, you also Store the start of the shot. In a series of tests taken consecutively, it may also be enough to register only once the absolute moment of storage and then determine only the intervals between every two tests, or also find out the others  tests, calculating the regularly recorded test from Stored moment of the shot.

The correlation of listening tests with Scheduled tests are performed at a central. The transference of listening tests from test homes to the central It can be done in various ways. Given the smallness of the monitors These can be sent to the central directly by mail. In test homes can also be installed a device capable of read the monitor store and transmit the data by modem to the central. Eventually, in one of such test homes too  a system to determine the habits of television. This class of systems already usually comprise a modem with a data transmission connection to the exchange. So through said system, they can also be transmitted, for example using a special adapter, the monitor data to the central.

Registration of program tests can be done through devices similar to monitors. Given the such devices are generally stationary, a direct coupling of the program signal, without giving a detour to through acoustic reproduction, and you can also register during longer shooting intervals, since the captors of program tests may contain expensive means of Higher capacity storage. Thus, for example, they can occur  time shifts between listening tests and program tests, as happens in the time bases that do not they march exactly synchronized, while the correlation is compensates later with the registration, without cutting the interval of effective correlation.

The invention will be further explained with the help of a example of embodiment represented in the figures.

Figure 1 shows the principle of operation with the help of a block scheme; Y

Figure 2 shows in detail another scheme of more blocks.

From microphone 1, the audio signal reaches the bandpass 2, which filters a frequency zone of 100 to 4000 s -1, preferably 300 to 3000 s -1 of the entire zone of audio frequencies. The signal with limited bandwidth arrives then to digital analog converter 3 and from there it passes, in digital form, to a first buffer 4. The converter Digital analog is controlled by a time indicator 9. This time indicator connects the digital analog converter for a second at the beginning of every entire minute. The indicator of time 9 counts for it with a quartz clock base, synchronized with an existing clock base in the central.

The listening test, which during the time of one second shot is stored digitally in memory 4, it is read in the rest of the minute of recording time in memory 4 and is available in memory 8 after the Fourier transformation in the Fourier 5 transformation unit, compression in the compressor 6 and encryption in the encryption unit 7.

Other imaginable embodiments are, by example, as a credit card or clip, or even integrated on a clock

Existing monitors in the test home they are placed once a day at a charging station and synchronization arranged at home. Sync station takes care of the synchronous march of time indicators 9 of Each of the monitors. In addition, you can read memory 8 of each monitor and store the content in its own memory, of older dimensions, which can also be for example a tape apparatus. Preferably, then the memory of the monitor is erased. How another function, the synchronization station can load the Rechargeable power sources contained in the monitor.

Data transfer to the exchange can be done, for example when at night the computer of the central calls the charging and synchronization station or when the it calls the central computer, when asked for the transmission of The stored data. In addition, at the charging station and synchronization the time indicator can be synchronized with the central computer time base. The connection to the control panel is performs well through the modem itself or also through the modem of an existing installation to investigate the spectator behavior The second possibility consists of send the data carrier of the charging and synchronization station to the central. Finally, the monitors themselves can also be sent to the exchange, where the built-in time indicator with the time base of the central.

The monitor can be adapted in various ways to The current conditions. Especially the different procedures Processing can be done through a single processor. With a shot time of only one second per minute, there are 59 seconds to carry out the transformation, compression and Encryption The performance of all these operations through a processor also has the advantage that, just by changing the program that controls the processor, you can vary all the functioning. For example, you can change the encrypter or its keys, compression can be connected and disconnected, and can Other transformation procedures are used.

Filter 2 can also be digital and be then placed behind the converter analog-digital Similarly, also the Processor filtering can be done digitally. The sequence of functional elements can also be chosen completely otherwise.

Synchronization of time base 9 results unnecessary, since time base 9 contains a receiver for a normal time signal, for example DCF-77, which is also used as normal time by the captors of program tests

One of the problems in pure acoustic recording of listening tests is an ambient noise level eventually too high. One possible solution is to use so-called spy speakers, which record the body noise from the respective speakers and sends it directly to the monitor, for example, through radio signals, infrared or ultrasonic The monitor can also be connected directly to the speaker or to the headphone output, for example of a walkman. A monitor can also be mounted so stationary in a stereo hi-fi installation using an adapter, which allows data entry by of hearing people. The monitor could also have a button that allows the wearer to disconnect the monitor, by example, during a confidential conversation.

A type of form will now be described embodiment, referring to figure 2. In this case the monitor, that is, the listener of the listening tests that the listener has with it, it is integrated in a clock, preferably a clock of bracelet. Microphone 1 has a very high sensitivity to sound waves 11, within a frequency range of about 200 to 3000 s -1, but outside this range its sensitivity is reduced. Thus the microphone 1 acts as a prefilter. Later on it will deal with branch 13, which serves to store the signals instead or in addition to the jack through microphone 1.

From microphone 1 the signal 14 with a frequency band already limited (approximately 200 to 3000 s <-1>) reaches an amplifier and a bandpass 15, which provides the signal with the level necessary for the next A / D converter 3 and takes care of giving the desired resolution to the bandwidth limitation. The output signal 18 of the amplifier 15 reaches the A / D converter 3, where it is converted to a digitized form 20. The conversion is done with a scan speed of 6000 s -1 and a solution of 8 Bit (= 1 Byte) per scan value. The signal switching exit during the scan interval is in charge of switch 22. Since the scan interval lasts a second, during the same 6000 values arrive (= 6000 Byte) to the buffer memory 4. Switch 22 and A / D converter 3 are controlled by time indicator 9, which can work coupled or separated from the clock time indicator, so that the time indicator 9 supplies the A / D converter 3 the scan signal 24 of 6000 s -1 and switch 22 the signal switching 25 with a duration of 1 second for each minute.

Data 29 of buffer 4 is read by the Fourier 5 transformation unit. The unit of Fourier transformation elaborates the listening tests of a second to stretches of 200 msec, so that as a result of each interval five groups of Fourier 30 coefficients are obtained, which are first placed in a buffer 32.

Of it the Fourier 34 coefficients are collected by the data compressor 6, being reduced by extension by a common compression procedure, such as Huffmann coding procedure Lempel-Ziv-Welch, etc. no loss of information. Here you can get compressions of up to 2/5 the amount of starting data, or even more, when known and High performance procedures apply. A value experienced is that there are about 100 bytes of data compressed by scan interval, that is, per minute. Data groups of compressed Fourier coefficients 37 are stored in a nonvolatile memory 8, for example a Flash-EPROM, with a capacity of, for example, 1 MB (= 2 20 Byte). With this capacity, and a data flow of 100 Byte per minute, can take the watch continuously for several days until Be able to read the memory. With another increase in storage capacity, thanks to the advances of the technique, This time will be even longer.

At least the Fourier transformation unit 5 and the data compressor 6 are controlled by a processor, which which is done through the corresponding program. At the same time, if necessary, the processor can handle encryption cited above.

Reading data and deleting memory EPROM 8 takes place at the charging and synchronization station 39, where the clock containing the monitor can be placed. The Energy and data transfer is done without contact through  electromagnetic coupling, thus preventing opening of the clock, while loading and reading require only very little user knowledge, so it can lead to perform the same test person. The monitor on the watch has, for the contact with the charging station 39, the reading control of the functional element 40 and the recoil and erase government 41, for read and erase memory 8, a synchronization unit of the time indicator 42 to synchronize the time indicator of the monitor 9 and a battery charge unit 43, which contains the monitor power battery and serves to recharge said battery Preferably, the data transfer is performed serially.

The synchronization station of clock 9 is necessary since the subdivisions of 200 msec of the tests of 1 second must be exactly correlated in time with the tests at the issuer, which can also be achieved without problems for several days based on a quartz watch. For compensate for one of the most influential values, the temperature, the temperature dependence of the temperature is determined for each monitor 9 time indicator and is stored in memory. With the help of a temperature sensor coupled to time indicator 9, that is, especially with the quartz inside, you can determine and correct the time difference due to the influence of temperature, which can achieve a Accuracy of ± 200 msec of error per week.

Other possible additional facilities consist of a personal identification 45, a detector of "in use "46, an attention button 48 and others, to indicate that is listening with greater attention, etc. The identification Personnel 45 has been previously provided to the bearer. Nevertheless, several identifications can also be provided, in order to choose The service items of the watch.

The "in use" detector 46 serves to automatically determine if the clock, that is the monitor, is used by the test person, and therefore if the tests of listen correspond to the impression of the person listening. How Complementary function, when the watch is not in use, also listener surveillance can be disconnected, for example during the night. The detector 46 may be realized as a sensor inductive or capacitive, for example responding to proximity from the body of the test person or the status of the wristwatch (open or closed).

The attention button 47 is used to manually mark, by the test person, the phases of more attention

Comparative listening tests, recorded on the emission side, for example in the study, they are elaborated and stored by a monitor of the same functional construction. Without However, instead of through microphone 1, the signal is stored directly through branch 13 at the entrance of amplifier 15. Final storage is done in a medium of higher capacity data, as is usual in the technique of computers, for example using magnetic tapes as a base. There are also no functions necessary for operation Automatic portable equipment, such as charging station and synchronization, attention button, "in use" sensor, etc.

The invention can also be used to find out the behavior of participants for other types of emission presenting an acoustic component, such as TVs

Claims (16)

1. Procedure to identify a listening signal, perceived by a listener, especially a radio or television program, characterized by the fact that listening tests are taken and stored in the listener's environment, and that the taking of Listening tests are performed at certain times and / or with the listening test, information about the moment of the capture is stored, so that the signal taken is digitized, a compression is carried out up to a data rate of 100 Byte / min, at the most, and the compressed signal is stored in a non-volatile storage device (8) without mechanical components functionally important for storage, so that these process phases are carried out by an apparatus that is not unpleasant to carry by the listener 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the radio program perceived by a listener is ascertained. 3. Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the listening tests are ascertained, so that at certain points in the socket acoustic signals (11) are recorded, with or without ambient noise, during an interval of the shot, so that the interval of the shot is essentially less than the time interval between two shot points and the duration of the shot is 0.1 to 10 seconds, and preferably 0.5 2 seconds 4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the sampling interval is divided into partial intervals and the data of the listening tests for these partial intervals are independently determined and stored separately. 5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a frequency band of approximately 100 to 4000 s -1 is filtered out of the listening test, preferably around 300 to 3000 s ^ {- 1}, or a partial zone of it. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the registered signal is subjected to a transformation, especially a Fourier, Fast-Fourier or Laplace transformation. Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the storage is carried out in non-volatile semiconductor memories or buffer batteries, especially fixed value memories electrically downloadable. Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that an encryption, especially a non-reversible encryption, is applied to the digitized signal before storage. 9. Device for carrying out the method according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it has the following components, connected to each other in the order indicated, respectively to the output and / or input: a microphone ( one); at least one component (1, 15) that filters a frequency band; an analog-digital converter (2); a processing unit (5, 6, 7; 5, 32, 6) to digitize the data, which especially contains a processor, which can perform the processing under the control of a program, so that the processing unit uses for example a method of compressing the digitized data, so that the digitized data has a speed of at most 100 Byte / min, and a non-volatile memory (8) for compressed digitized data, so that the memory 8) it does not present any essentially mobile mechanical component for the storage process, being in particular a non-volatile semiconductor or buffer battery, which contains a time indicator (9) to establish the timing of the listening tests, and therefore the The device has a constructive form so small and light that it can be carried without problems by a person, especially as a wristwatch, clip or credit card. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the non-volatile memory is a semiconductor memory of fixed electrically downloadable value, preferably of the FLASH-EPROM type. Device according to one of claims 9 or 10, characterized in that the time indicator (9) contains an absolute time base, which can be adjusted to a reference time base by means of a unit of synchronization (39), and the absolute time base may be provided with at least one correction unit to compensate for the time deviations caused by temperature fluctuations, so that the corrective unit reacts to the temperature of the base environment of time. 12. Device according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the time indicator (9) contains a receiver or decoder for normal time signals. 13. Device according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the device can be carried by the test person and has a capacitive or inductive sensor (46) to generate a signal indicating that it is carried by person. 14. Installation with a device according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that there is a second microphone, especially a body sound microphone, in the installation, placed in a speaker of the radio receiver or television, that a transmitter is connected to the second microphone, which wirelessly radiates the signal picked up by the second microphone, and that the device contains a receiver for said signal. 15. Procedure for finding out the behavior of listeners and spectators, characterized in that listening tests are found according to one of claims 1 to 8, program tests of at least one radio or television program being performed and recorded, which overlap, at least partially, with the listening tests, so that the listening tests and the program tests go through the same processing phases between taking and storage, and that the listening and program tests corresponding to the at the same time, they are correlated at a later time, so that the positive result is obtained by matching the correlation between the listening tests and the existing program in the programming tests. 16. Method according to claim 15, characterized in that the programming tests pass before registering a first part of the processing phases, and between the reading of the storage medium and the correlation pass other processing phases, especially an encryption, to condition the program tests for correlation with the listening tests.