JP2005182589A - Public display management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To acquire information useful for an analysis of an advertising effect of public display. <P>SOLUTION: A public display management system is provided with; a display device for displaying image information to the public; a display information management means for managing image information displayed on the display device per proper division; one or more cameras for photographing persons being within a range where display images on the display device can been seen; a subject analysis means for counting the number of persons determined to be viewers viewing the display images by the image processing of image outputs of the cameras; and a recording means for recording the counted number of viewers and a division of image information displayed in the counting period, correspondingly to each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a public display management system that broadcasts video programs such as advertisements and gazettes (including those with audio) to a large screen display for the public gathering in a station square or a large-scale store. The present invention relates to a technique for exploring the relationship between contents and the degree of interest of viewers.

  For example, in the city station square, many people come and go, and many people are waiting for meetings. Public displays with large screens are installed on the walls of the surrounding buildings, and video programs such as advertisements are being broadcast one after another to people gathering in the plaza. For some time people are looking at the public display.

  For advertisers who use such public displays, of course, how their ads are of interest to the public is a very important concern. Similarly, the analysis of the advertising appeal effect is an important issue for businesses that provide a new advertising medium such as a public display.

  For existing advertising media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, empirical research on advertising effectiveness has been conducted for a long time, and the research results are fed back to advertising strategies as a concrete method. However, there is almost no research on the advertising effect of public displays installed in station squares, etc., and it is not possible to apply the research results on existing advertising media as they are because of their nature as advertising media. It will not be possible, and an original analysis method will be required.

  The public display management system according to the present invention includes a display device that displays image information for the public, display information management means that manages image information displayed on the display device in appropriate units, and a display image of the display device can be seen One or more cameras that shoot people in the range, subject analysis means for counting the number of viewers who are viewing the displayed image by processing the video output of the camera, and the number of viewers counted It is characterized by comprising recording means for associating and recording the classification of the image information displayed during the counting period.

In the public display management system basically configured as described above, the following technical items can be appropriately and selectively employed.
(1) The subject analysis means executes the process a plurality of times during the display period of a certain segment of image information, and outputs the total number of viewers counted in each process.
(2) The subject analysis unit estimates the number of people present in the range where the display image can be seen by performing image processing on the video output of the camera, and the recording unit records the estimated number of people present in association with the recording.
(3) The subject analysis means executes the process a plurality of times during the display period of a certain section of the image information, and outputs the number of people present with each process.
(4) The subject analysis means counts the number of non-viewers who have not seen the display image by performing image processing on the video output of the camera, and the recording means also corresponds to the estimated number of non-viewers. Add and record.
(5) The subject analysis means executes the process a plurality of times during the display period of a certain section of the image information, and outputs the number of non-spectators estimated in each process.
(6) The camera shoots so that the viewer's face can be seen from the screen side of the public display.
(7) A second camera is provided for photographing a person who is present from a direction in which the face of the viewer on the public display is not easily captured.

  In the system according to the present invention, the number of persons determined to be the viewer who is viewing the display image and the classification of the image information displayed during the period of counting the number of viewers are recorded in association with each other. It is possible to provide information that is extremely useful for analyzing the advertising effectiveness of public displays.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a public display management system according to the present invention. The display device 1 is a full-color LED display device having a screen size of several hundred inches. An audio device 2 is also attached to the display device 1, and a video program with sound is also output.

  The program output computer 3 manages a large number of video programs (sometimes with audio) stored in the program database 4 and a broadcast schedule, and sends video programs to the display device 1 (sound device 2) one after another according to the schedule. And output audiovisual.

  These system configurations are almost the same as general public displays. As characteristic elements of the system according to the present invention, cameras 5a to 5d and an image processing computer 6 are provided for measuring the number of people (viewers) watching the screen of the display device 1. ing.

The cameras 5a to 5d are installed so as to photograph people who are present in a place where the screen of the display device 1 is easy to see (referred to as a plaza). However, the shooting directions of the four cameras 5a to 5d are different as follows.
The camera 5a is installed so as to photograph people in the open space from the screen side of the display device 1, and the face of the person watching the display screen is photographed by the camera 5a from almost the front.
The camera 5b is installed so as to photograph people in the square from the opposite side of the display device 1 across the square, and the back of the person watching the display screen is photographed by the camera 5b.
The camera 5c (5d) is installed so as to photograph people in the square from the right side (left side) of the square with the direction of the display device 1 as the front. 5d).

  Images taken by the cameras 5 a to 5 d are sampled all at once in a certain cycle and are taken into the image processing computer 6. The computer 6 cuts out images in the same range (squares) from the image data of the cameras 5a to 5d, performs pattern matching processing on each of the cut out images, and includes face elements included in the images (of the eyes, nose and mouth). A pattern can be identified) and the number of face elements is counted. This process is performed for each captured image of each camera 5a to 5d.

Since the camera 5a photographs the viewer on the display screen from the front, the facial elements included in the captured image of the camera 5a are those of the viewer. Therefore, the number of face elements extracted and counted from these captured images corresponds to the number of viewers.
Since the camera 5b captures the viewer on the display screen later, the face element included in the captured image of the camera 5b is not that of the viewer. Therefore, the number of face elements extracted and counted from these captured images corresponds to the number of non-viewers.
Since the camera 5c and the camera 5d shoot the viewer on the display screen from the side, the facial elements included in the captured images of the camera 5c and the camera 5d are not those of the viewer. Therefore, the number of face elements extracted and counted from these captured images corresponds to the number of non-viewers.

  The computer 6 simultaneously samples the images taken by the four cameras 5a to 5d and processes them as described above. Therefore, at each sampling time point, the number of face elements counted from the image of the camera 5a corresponds to the number of viewers, and the total number of face elements counted from the images of the other three cameras 5b, 5c, and 5d. Corresponds to the number of non-viewers.

  For each sampling time point, the computer 6 calculates the timing data directly or indirectly representing the time point, the number of viewers determined from the image of the camera 5a, and the images of the three cameras 5b, 5c, and 5d. Record the number of non-viewers sequentially. This time-series recorded information (referred to as viewer information) is transmitted from the image processing computer 6 to the program output computer 3 sequentially or at any time.

  As described above, the program output computer 3 performs control to successively send video programs to the display device 1 according to the broadcast schedule. Along with this operation, the computer 3 records time-series broadcast performance information indicating when and what program was broadcast. In the computer 3, the broadcast performance information recorded by itself and the viewer information transmitted from the image processing computer 6 are matched in time series, so that when the program is broadcast, what kind of content, the number of viewers, Information such as the number of non-viewers can be grasped, and data obtained by appropriately editing the information can be output in an arbitrary form.

  In the period during which one advertising program is being broadcast, the image processing computer 6 performs sampling of captured images and face element extraction / counting processing multiple times, and the total number of viewers in one program broadcast period and the number of non-viewers. The total number may be recorded. In this case, since the same person is counted multiple times, the number is different from the real number of people in the square, but the ratio between the number of viewers and the number of non-viewers is meaningful information. , Improve the value of information in this sense.

It is a schematic block diagram of a public display management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display apparatus 2 Sound apparatus 3 Program output computer 4 Program database 5a-5d Camera 6 Image processing computer

Claims (8)

  A display device for displaying image information for the public, display information management means for managing image information displayed on the display device in an appropriate division unit, and one or more devices for photographing people in a range where the display image of the display device can be seen Camera, subject analysis means for counting the number of viewers who are viewing the display image by image processing the video output of the camera, the number of viewers counted and the image information displayed during the counting period A public display management system comprising recording means for associating and recording the categories.   2. The public display management system according to claim 1, wherein the subject analysis means executes a plurality of processes during a display period of a certain section of image information and outputs a total value of the number of viewers counted in each process.   3. The object analysis means according to claim 1, wherein the subject analysis means estimates the number of persons present in a range where the display image can be seen by performing image processing on the video output of the camera, and the recording means also associates the estimated number of attendance with the recording. Public display management system to record.   4. The public display management system according to claim 3, wherein the subject analysis means executes the process a plurality of times during a display period of a certain section of the image information, and outputs the number of people present with each process.   3. The object analysis means according to claim 1, wherein the subject analysis means counts the number of non-viewers who have not seen the display image by performing image processing on the video output of the camera, and the recording means also calculates the estimated number of non-viewers. A public display management system for recording in association with the recording.   6. The public display management system according to claim 5, wherein the subject analysis means executes the processing a plurality of times during a display period of a certain section of the image information, and outputs the number of non-spectators estimated in each processing.   7. The public display management system according to claim 1, wherein the camera captures an image of a viewer's face from the screen side of the public display. The public display management system according to claim 7, further comprising a second camera that photographs a person who is present from a direction in which the face of the viewer on the public display is difficult to be seen.

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