JP2011223060A - Information display system, information content distribution server, and display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an information display system that realizes a time synchronization control of an information content distribution using multiple displays.SOLUTION: The information display system comprises at least one content server and at least one display. The content server obtains information relating to a local time managed by each display, determines a display start date of a content so that each display starts to display the content at a desired time. The display displays a content corresponding to the display start date in accordance with the display start date determined by the content server.

Description

  The present invention provides information for effectively displaying information in places where an unspecified number of people such as product advertisements and information, news reports, information distribution, advertisements, etc. are expected to come and go in the city and public institutions. It relates to a display system.

  As a method for displaying information for an unspecified number of people, methods such as distribution of signs, posters, bulletin boards, display shelves, flyers and brochures have been taken. However, it has been difficult to change the contents in a short time when there is an entity such as a printed matter or an exhibit.

  In order to solve this, it has been proposed to use an advertising technique used in broadcasting or the like and display billboards, posters, and bulletin boards in the city as displays (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  In addition, in order to shorten the time from editing of content such as displayed advertisement to display, it has been proposed to provide a communication function on the distribution side and the display side (for example, Patent Document 3).

  In the information presentation system disclosed in Patent Document 3, a content provider communicates with an image generation terminal through a wide area network to update the content displayed on the display device. The following usage forms of this system are conceivable.

  For example, when three large video devices, which are displays, are installed in a building in the city, one for a building # 1, the advertising device for drinking water is used for the video device for building # 2, and the other is an advertising for overseas travel for building # 2. In Building # 3, a new music advertisement is displayed.

  Patent Document 4 describes an audio video system that plays back video and audio of content. In this system, the monitor that displays the video is separated by wireless communication or the like. However, when configured in this way, video and audio are not reproduced unless the delay time required for communication and image processing is taken into consideration. Since they are not synchronized, the audio and video are time-synchronized so that the viewing user does not feel uncomfortable.

JP-A-5-341723 JP 7-036399 A JP 10-143104 A Japanese Patent No. 4182437

  When displaying information using a display device, not only is it possible to display content independently on multiple displays, but multiple displays work together for the purpose of improving advertising effectiveness. A usage form in which information is provided to the viewer is also conceivable.

  For example, the same content can be reproduced on a plurality of displays at the same time, or a plurality of neighboring displays can be used for reproduction as if they were one large display.

  In such a case, if the playback timing is not synchronized between the displays, it is assumed that the viewing user feels uncomfortable. As a specific example, if there is a frequency deviation of 100 ppm between the original oscillation clocks of each device, even if time synchronization is taken at a specific time, there will be an 8.6 second deviation after 24 hours. Appears. Patent Document 4 describes the difference between audio and video, and a shift of 0.5 seconds gives a sense of incongruity, so it is easy to guess that a shift of 8.6 seconds is an unbearable error. Is done.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and realizes time synchronization control of information content distribution using a plurality of displays, and enables information distribution that is effective and does not give the viewer a sense of incongruity. An object is to obtain an information display system, an information content distribution server, and a display device.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention is an information display system including one or more information content distribution servers and one or more display devices, and each of the information content distribution servers includes: Information on the local time managed by the display device is acquired, and the display start date and time of content is determined for each display device so that each display device starts displaying content at a desired timing based on the acquired information The display device displays the content associated with the display start date and time according to the display start date and time determined by the information content distribution server.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve time synchronization of information content distribution between devices, and to achieve effective information distribution. In addition, there is an effect that it is possible to realize information distribution that does not give the viewer a sense of incongruity.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an information display system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the information display system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of content distribution management information managed by the content server. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schedule table held by each display according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration example of the content server and the display. FIG. 6 is a diagram of a configuration example of the information display system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of information managed by the content server according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of information managed by the content server according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a method of correcting the display start date and time of content. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation executed when the delay time by the communication network is calculated. FIG. 11 is a diagram of a configuration example of the information display system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schedule table managed by the display according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of content distribution management information managed by the content server according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of content distribution management information managed by the content server according to the fourth embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an information display system, an information content distribution server, and a display device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

  First, an information display system assumed in each embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an assumed information display system. The information display shown in the figure (hereinafter simply referred to as the display) is assumed to be a display with different managers and manufacturers, and connected to an information communication network (asynchronous network) (transmission path, etc.) ) Is also assumed to be different. In FIG. 1, three displays are shown, but any number of displays may be present. In addition, it is assumed that a distributor who intends to distribute information to each display (an operator who uses the information content distribution server) is not one person (the figure shows the case of two persons, but there is no one. May be).

  In the information display system shown in FIG. 1, an information content distribution server (hereinafter simply referred to as a content server) periodically collects local time for each display (local time managed by each display). Then, in consideration of the frequency shift of each display, the time shift between devices at the start of content display is estimated, and the display start date and time considering the shift is set for each display, so that the time synchronized display is performed. Realize. Also, if the time is discontinuous, such as when the local time is corrected manually or automatically on the display side, the time estimation error can be corrected beforehand by notifying the server that distributes the content individually. To do. With this configuration, in the information display system described in each of the following embodiments, time synchronization control of information content distribution using a plurality of displays is performed, and effective information distribution becomes possible.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the information display system according to the first embodiment. As illustrated, in the present embodiment, an example in which one content server and two displays are described will be described. There are no restrictions on the number of content servers and displays. It is assumed that the content server is connected to display # 1 (XX building AA display) and display # 2 (YY building BB display) via a communication network (asynchronous network shown). Further, the configuration of the basic functions of each display, that is, the configuration for realizing the characteristic operation of the present embodiment is the same.

  Here, an example of operation in the case where information of 1 minute 50 seconds is displayed simultaneously on different displays from 19:02 will be described. The content server shown in FIG. 2 distributes the content and the schedule describing the display start time of the content to the display # 1 and the display # 2 through the asynchronous network sufficiently before the display start date and time. .

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of information managed by the content server. The hatched portion is information corresponding to an operation example to be described here. The information shown in FIG. 3 holds the content content, start date and time, display time, and the like, and is displayed by the distribution destination and the distribution destination corresponding to the information distribution ID (corresponding to the illustrated distribution management ID). Take the form that the content corresponds to. As a mechanism for managing the time, an expression method such as an internal counter value of the apparatus may be used instead of the year / month / day / minute / second display. When operating in accordance with the information shown in FIG. 3, the content server in FIG. 2 displays the content “Travel on Minaminoshima” on Display # 1 and # 2 from 19:02:00 to 1 minute 50 seconds To instruct.

  Further, the content server and each display exchange the time synchronization method used by the content server via the asynchronous network. In the example shown in FIG. 2, each display periodically acquires and corrects time synchronization through a highly accurate synchronization method such as GPS (Global Positioning System) or NTP (Network Time Protocol), and the synchronization is performed. Each display notifies the content server that it is performing. Since the content server also periodically acquires and corrects time synchronization through a highly accurate synchronization method, each device (content server and display) constituting the information display system is in a synchronized state. . Therefore, the content server determines that it is not necessary to adjust the start date and time for each display when instructing the display of the content, and the content distribution management details are kept as it is (without adjustment). Notify the destination display registered in the information.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of content display schedule information (schedule table) held by each display according to the present embodiment, and the hatched portion corresponds to the operation example to be described here. It is. The information shown in FIG. 4 is received by each display when the display of content is instructed from the content server, and includes a start date and time, a display time, and a content ID. As shown in the figure, each display realizes highly accurate time synchronization, and notifies the content server that the highly accurate time synchronization is being performed, thereby facilitating information distribution using a plurality of displays. Operate with care (distribute information while maintaining synchronization). When operating according to the schedule table shown in FIG. 4, the display # 1 displays the content whose content ID is 7HC58D30 from 19:02:00 of the time (local time) managed in its own device for 1 minute 50 The display # 2 displays the content with the content ID 7HC58D31 from 19:02:00 of the time (local time) managed in the own device for 1 minute 50 seconds. As shown in FIG. 2, it can be said that there is no deviation in the local time of the displays # 1 and # 2 (there is only a slight deviation that cannot be recognized by a normal viewer). In 2, the designated content is displayed simultaneously.

  The management information shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is a table for managing the start time and the display time. However, the management information shown in FIG. It is also possible to return to the content server and have this information in a table.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration example of the content server and the display illustrated in FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the information display system according to the present embodiment includes a content server 1, a display 2 for displaying content, and an information communication network 3 that is an asynchronous network configured by the Internet, wireless communication, or the like. The In order to simplify the explanation, FIG. 5 shows the content server 1 and the display 2 as one unit. However, as described above, there may be one or more servers similar to the content server 1 in the system. In addition, one or more devices similar to the display 2 may exist.

  The content server 1 includes an input / output unit 11, a control unit 12, and a communication unit 13. The input / output unit 11 outputs external information such as a monitor for displaying information to an operator who manages content distribution, A display and input / output I / F unit 111 for inputting with a keyboard or a mouse is provided. In addition, the control unit 12 includes a content distribution management I / F unit 121 for accessing information related to content distribution, a content creation / holding unit 122 that creates, edits, and holds content, and a schedule for displaying content. Communicates content information, content display schedule information, and time information with a schedule creation / management unit 123 that performs creation and management, a time management / calculation unit 124 that collects and manages local time information of the content server itself and the display of the distribution destination Content distribution information and time information distribution unit 125 exchanged with unit 13. The communication unit 13 includes a communication I / F unit 131 that exchanges content information, content display schedule information, and local time information with a communication network. The schedule creation / management unit 123 constitutes a schedule determination unit, the time management / calculation unit 124 constitutes an information collection unit, and the content distribution information and time information distribution unit 125 constitute a content distribution unit.

  The display 2 includes a communication unit 21, a control unit 22, and a display unit 23. The communication unit 21 includes a communication I / F unit 211 that exchanges content information, content display schedule information, and local time information with a communication network. The control unit 22 also stores content distribution information and time information distribution unit 221 that exchanges content information, content display schedule information, and time information with the communication unit 21 and content received from the communication unit 21 side. Unit 222, schedule management unit 223 for managing the display schedule (content display schedule information) of the content held in content holding unit 222, time management unit 224 for managing the time (local time) of the display itself, and display A content display management I / F unit 225 that controls the display unit 23 to display content at the start time according to the schedule is provided. The display unit 23 includes a display processing unit 231 that displays content in accordance with instructions from the control unit 22.

  Hereinafter, an operation example of the content server 1 and the display 2 illustrated in FIG. 5 will be described. Here, a case where the content server 1 and the display 2 operate as the content server and each display (displays # 1 and # 2) illustrated in FIG. 2 will be described.

  The time management unit 224 of the display 2 has high-accuracy time synchronization establishment means such as GPS or NTP, and the content distribution information and time-information distribution unit indicates that it has high-accuracy time synchronization establishment means. 221 and the communication I / F unit 211 are notified to the content server 1. More specifically, this notification is notified to the time management / calculation unit 124 constituting the control unit 12 of the content server 1. The notification content is displayed on the input / output I / F unit 111 and the input / output I / F unit 111 via the content distribution management unit I / F unit 121, and the operator goes to the display / input / output I / F unit 111. By confirming the display content, it is recognized that the highly accurate time synchronization is established on the display 2 and the establishment means. At this time, the time management / calculation unit 124 also outputs information on the time synchronization established (contents of notification from the time management unit 224 of the display 2) to the schedule creation / management unit 123, and this information is shared. Is done. The timing at which the time management unit 224 of the display 2 performs the notification is not particularly defined. It may be notified when requested by the content server 1 or may be notified by itself when the operation starts. Moreover, you may make it notify regularly.

  Further, when the input / output unit 11 acquires information from an operator, that is, information about content to be displayed on the information display system (more specifically, content display start time, display time (display duration), content to be displayed) Information, information such as a display serving as a display destination (distribution destination) is acquired and passed to the schedule creation / management unit 123 via the content distribution management I / F unit 121. Then, the schedule creation / management unit 123, based on the notification content from the time management unit 224 of the display 2 (notification regarding the time synchronization establishment means) and the information acquired from the operator (information about the content to be displayed), FIG. Information (content distribution management information) as described in 1. is generated and managed.

  In addition, the schedule creation / management unit 123 generates content display schedule information including the start date and time, the display time, and the content ID from the information included in the generated information (see FIG. 3), and starts displaying the content. Distribute to the display 2 of the distribution destination (display 2 for displaying the content corresponding to the content ID) included in the generated information sufficiently before the time (start date and time). The content display schedule information is generated for each display on which content is displayed. For example, when a certain content is displayed on three displays, a content display schedule for three devices is generated. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the content server 1 also has high-accuracy time synchronization means, and the content server 1 and each display 2 are operating in a synchronized state. The schedule creation / management unit 123 notifies each display 2 of the same start date and time (notifies the start date and time shown in FIG. 3 as it is). At this time, the content corresponding to the content ID included in the generated information is also distributed.

  The content display schedule information transmitted by the schedule creation / management unit 123 is distributed to the schedule management unit 223 of the display 2, and the schedule management unit 223 registers and manages the distributed information in the schedule table shown in FIG. . Further, the content is distributed from the content creation / holding unit 122 of the content server 1 to the content holding unit 222 of the display 2. For example, when delivering the content display schedule information to the schedule management unit 223, the schedule creation / management unit 123 notifies the content creation / holding unit 122 of the content ID to be transmitted and the display 2 of the delivery destination, and the content creation / holding unit 122 distributes the content corresponding to the notification content to the display 2 of the distribution destination. In the content server 1, the content distribution information and time information distribution unit 125 includes, for example, distribution information (content display schedule information) output from the schedule creation / management unit 123 and distribution information output from the content creation / holding unit 122. (Content) is collected and transmitted to each display 2 as one distribution data. On the other hand, in each display 2, the content distribution information and time information distribution unit 221 distributes each piece of information included in the distribution data received from the content server 1 to the content holding unit 222 and the schedule management unit 223. Note that the content distribution information and time information distribution unit 125 of the content server 1 may transmit the content display schedule information and the content individually (without collecting them). In addition, when the content 2 corresponding to the content ID included in the content display schedule information has been distributed in the past, the content display schedule is already held in the display 2 to which the content display schedule information is distributed. Only information needs to be sent.

  In the display 2, the content display management I / F unit 225 confirms the schedule table held in the schedule management unit 223 and the time information obtained from the time management unit 224, and starts the time (contents registered in the schedule table) The corresponding content is acquired from the content holding unit 222, and the acquired content is displayed on the display processing unit 231.

  As described above, in the information display system according to the present embodiment, the content server acquires information about the time synchronization establishment means from each display for displaying the content, and displays the acquired information and the instruction content from the operator (displays it). Based on the content content, transmission start date and time, display time, and information about the display as the display destination, instruction information for each display for displaying the content (content ID to be displayed, display start date and time, and display time) Display schedule information) is generated individually and distributed to each display. Each display displays the content in accordance with the instruction information distributed from the content server. Thereby, time synchronization of information content display between displays can be realized, and effective information distribution can be achieved.

  For the sake of simplification, the description has been made assuming that the content consists only of visual information (video). However, the operation described in this embodiment is for displaying (reproducing) content including audio information. It can also be applied to. Also, the present invention can be applied to the case of reproducing content consisting only of audio information. The same applies to each embodiment described later.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a diagram of a configuration example of the information display system according to the second embodiment. Similar to the first embodiment, in this embodiment, an example in which one content server and two display devices are used will be described. As in the first embodiment, there are no restrictions on the number of content servers and displays. It is assumed that the content server is connected to display # 1 (XX building AA display) and display # 2 (YY building BB display) via a communication network (asynchronous network shown). Further, the configuration of the basic functions of each display, that is, the configuration for realizing the characteristic operation of the present embodiment is the same.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that time synchronization by a highly accurate synchronization method cannot be realized on each display. That is, an information display system that notifies the respective displays after adjusting the start date and time of notification when the content server instructs the display of the content will be described. The configuration and operation of each display are the same as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, explanation is omitted.

  First, information managed by the content server of this embodiment will be described. The information managed by the content server of the present embodiment includes the information of “time management content” and “content distribution management content” of the information (see FIG. 3) managed by the content server described in the first embodiment. The information shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 has been replaced.

  In the information display system according to the present embodiment, the time difference increases with the passage of time because the internal clock frequency differs between devices. Therefore, in the content server of the present embodiment, the “time management content” included in the information (see FIG. 3) managed by the content server described in the first embodiment is replaced with the one shown in FIG. Manage information. That is, in the content server of the present embodiment, it is necessary to grasp the time difference between devices at a specific time and to distinguish the spread of the difference due to the passage of time. The configuration is as shown in FIG. Specifically, the display time at the time of 00:00:00 at the time of the previous acquisition exists in the column next to the “distribution destination” column at the left end, and this information is stored by the content server from each display. A time difference (difference) between the time (reference time) managed by the content server and the time (local time) managed by each display at the time when the time information is acquired is shown. In the next column, there is an assumed value of a difference that occurs until the local time information is acquired next time (00 hour 00 minute 00 second after 24 hours). By holding these two pieces of difference information (hereinafter, the former is referred to as first difference information and the latter as second difference information) in a table, the time (content display start date and time) at the time of advertisement distribution is shifted. Can be interpolated by interpolation.

  These two pieces of information, for example, the first difference information is obtained by collecting time periodically from each display in the system at 00:00:00 every day. The calculation is based on the time information collected last and the time information collected in the past. It may be acquired at a time other than 00:00:00 or irregularly. In this case, the time interval obtained last time is corrected when the time interval is 24 hours, and the corrected time is managed as the first difference information.

  Next, a method for correcting the display start date and time of content will be described with reference to FIG. The collection time Tbasis represents the time when the time collection has already been completed, and τbasis represents the time difference between the server and the display at that time. Here, when collecting periodically (if the period is not constant, the inverse of the period is taken to be regarded as a constant period), the collection interval is ΔT, and this is due to the frequency deviation of the server and the display. The time difference occurring during ΔT is Δτ. Δτ is calculated by, for example, an average of deviations obtained by periodically collecting. When Tdisp is the display time for actually displaying the content and Tbasis ≦ Tdisp ≦ Tbasis + ΔT is satisfied, 0 ≦ σ ≦ 1 and Tdisp = Tbasis + σ × ΔT. = Τbasis + σ × Δτ. Therefore, the corrected time (display start date and time) can be obtained. In the case of Tbasis ≦ Tbasis + ΔT ≦ Tdisp, by setting 1 ≦ σ, the time difference τdisp can be obtained by the same equation.

  The content server registers and manages the display start date and time after correction obtained by the above method in a table. Specifically, the “content distribution management content” shown in FIG. 8 is managed. The “local start date / time” included in the “content distribution management content” in FIG. 8 is the corrected display start date / time obtained by the above method. Then, when distributing the schedule (content display schedule information) indicating the display start time of the content, the content server notifies each display registered as the distribution destination of each time registered in the “local start date and time”. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, synchronized content display can be realized even when the time of each device is different (when the time is not synchronized between devices).

  In addition, when the time is updated regularly or irregularly automatically or manually on the display side, and the time update date and time is determined in advance, the two columns on the right side of FIG. 7 are displayed. As shown, the information on whether or not there is a time synchronization schedule and the next time synchronization scheduled time may be stored for each display, and the information distribution start time may be set assuming that an update will occur. Specifically, the content displayed up to the update date and time (corresponding to the “next time synchronization scheduled time” shown in FIG. 7) is displayed in accordance with the calculation formula described with reference to FIG. 7). Further, by newly setting Tbasis, updating with τbasis = 0, and using the previous value for Δτ, the local start date and time of the content to be displayed after the update date and time can be calculated.

  If the update date and time has not been determined in advance and the display administrator manually changes the setting, or if a power supply restarts suddenly due to a malfunction, the time overwritten on the display is notified via the communication network. Realize with things. In that case, the time difference that occurs together with the time interval ΔT may use a method of using the information held until the previous time and increasing the accuracy with the operation of the system.

Further, the delay amount in the communication network may be calculated to improve time accuracy. Specifically, as in the NTP protocol (described in section 3.4.4 of the document “IETF-RFC 1305”), data is mutually exchanged as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the delay time (ΔT _N2 + ΔT _N1 ) by the communication network is calculated.
(ΔT _N2 + ΔT _N1 ) = T _s2 −T _d2 + T _d1 −T _s1

  Then, using the calculated delay time between the content server and each display (signal transmission delay time), the content server corrects information managed (information related to time).

  Next, the configuration of the content server and the operation of each component will be described. First, the configuration of the content server is the same as that of the first embodiment (see FIG. 5). Hereinafter, the operation of each component will be described with reference to FIG. However, description of components that perform the same operation as the content server described in Embodiment 1 is omitted.

  In the content server 1, the time management / calculation unit 124 acquires time information (information on the local time of the display) from the time management unit 224 of each display 2 regularly or irregularly. Then, based on the acquired time information, the time management / calculation unit 124 calculates a difference (time difference) and a frequency deviation between the time managed by itself (content server 1) and the time managed by each display. The calculated information is held together with the acquired time information.

  Based on the information (time difference, frequency deviation) calculated by the time management / calculation unit 124, the schedule creation / management unit 123 provides information on the content to be displayed, its display start time (start date and time), and the display to be displayed. Update a table including information (distribution destination) and the like (in which information shown in FIG. 3 is replaced with “content distribution management content” and “time management content” shown in FIGS. 7 and 8), to manage. Further, among the information included in the managed table, content display schedule information including the local start date and time, display time and content ID is generated, and sufficiently before the content display start time (local start date and time) Distribute to the display 2 (display 2 that displays the content corresponding to the content ID) included in the generated information.

  The above frequency deviation is replaced with any other information that can calculate how much the difference between the local time on the content server and the local time on the display changes when a certain time has passed. Also good. If the last calculated time difference (latest time difference information) and the previously calculated time difference are known, the schedule creation / management unit 123 determines the difference at a certain time (the reference time managed by the own device and the local time of the display) Therefore, the reference time (the time managed by the time management / calculation unit 124) and the time difference at this time (the difference between the reference time and the local time of the display) may be acquired.

  As described above, in the information display system of the present embodiment, the content server acquires information on the managed time (local time) from each display for displaying the content, and the acquired information and instructions from the operator Based on the contents (contents to be displayed, transmission start date and time, display time, and information about the display as a display destination), instruction information for each display to display the content (the ID of the content to be displayed, the local display start date and time) Information content display schedule information including start date and time and display time) is generated individually and distributed to each display. Each display displays the content in accordance with the instruction information distributed from the content server. As a result, even if the display cannot achieve time synchronization by a highly accurate synchronization method, that is, when content is displayed on a display that is not synchronized with the content server, information content display between displays Time synchronization can be realized, and effective information distribution becomes possible.

  In the present embodiment, description has been made assuming that time synchronization by a high-accuracy synchronization method cannot be realized on all displays, but a high-accuracy synchronization method is used on some or all displays. Even when time synchronization is possible, the same device configuration and control operation can be applied. For a display that is time-synchronized by a highly accurate synchronization method (a display that is time-synchronized with the content server), the time difference included in the time management content shown in FIG. 7 is zero (00 minutes 00 seconds 000) )

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the second embodiment, the information display system has been described in which the time difference between the content server and the display is calculated by the content server, and the content start time is corrected for each display and distributed. An information display system will be described in which the server distributes the time start information without correcting the content start time, and corrects the start time on the display side to display the content. The configuration of the content server and the display of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first and second embodiments (see FIG. 5).

  When the information display system according to the present embodiment is applied, there is an advantage that the content start time is easy to understand for persons involved in the display, such as an administrator of the display. It has an advantage that display should be started with reference to information.

  In addition, if the local time of the display can be corrected using the time lag information notified from the content server side, the display has made corrections and corrections (the time lag with the content server has been canceled). May be notified to the content server.

  Operations of the content server and the display according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the device configuration diagram (FIG. 5). Only the parts different from the content server and display of the second embodiment will be described.

  In the content server 1, the schedule creation / management unit 123 displays the content to be displayed and the display thereof based on the time information acquired from the display by the time management / calculation unit 124 and information (time difference, frequency deviation) calculated based on the time information. Update and manage a table that includes time (display start time), display information to be displayed, and the like. This table is the same as the table managed by the schedule creation / management unit 123 of the second embodiment. When the content server of the present embodiment distributes the content held by the content creation / holding unit 122 to the display, the content server manages the start time (contents of the content) managed by the schedule creation / management unit 123. (Display start date and time), time lag information for each display (time lag information at the start of content display), display time and content ID are distributed to the corresponding display 2 sufficiently before the content display start date and time.

  In the display 2 of the present embodiment, the schedule management unit 223 includes information distributed from the schedule creation / management unit 123 of the content server 1 (content display start date / time, time lag information for each display, display time, content ID). To get. Also, the content display start date / time is adjusted with the acquired time lag information, and the adjusted content display start date / time is registered as start date / time information in the schedule table (see FIG. 4) together with the acquired display time and content ID. Keep it in control. The content display management I / F unit 225 confirms the schedule table held in the schedule management unit 223 and the time information obtained from the time management unit 224, and starts the time registered in the schedule table (starts displaying content) The corresponding content is acquired from the content holding unit 222, and the acquired content is displayed on the display processing unit 231.

  As described above, in the information display system of the present embodiment, the content server acquires information on the managed time (local time) from each display for displaying the content, and the acquired information and instructions from the operator Based on the contents (contents to be displayed, transmission start date and time, display time, and information about the display to be displayed) instruction information for each display to display the content (content ID to be displayed, display start date and time, time lag) Information and information including display time) are individually generated and distributed to each display. Each display displays the content in accordance with the instruction information distributed from the content server. Thereby, the effect similar to the information display system of Embodiment 2 can be acquired.

  In each display, the schedule management unit 223 and the time management unit 224 share the time lag information distributed from the content server, perform an operation of correcting the internal time (local time) of the time management unit 224, and the time management unit 224 may notify the time management / calculation unit 124 of the content server that the local time has been corrected. When there are a plurality of content servers, the notification may be sent to one content server or may be sent to all the content servers to be connected. When notifying only some content servers, such as notifying only one content server, each content server cooperates and all the content servers recognize that the local time has been corrected on the display.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the first to third embodiments, the description has been made assuming that there is one content server in the system. However, in the present embodiment, a case where there are two content servers will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram of a configuration example of the information display system according to the fourth embodiment. As illustrated, in this embodiment, an example in which a plurality of content servers (here, two) are provided will be described. The configuration of each content server and display is the same as that in the first embodiment (see FIG. 5).

  A case is assumed in which content is distributed from both content server # 1 and content server # 2 to display # 1 (XX building AA display) and a display schedule is set. Here, the content server # 1 can realize time synchronization (absolute time synchronization) by a highly accurate synchronization method, and the other devices (content server # 2, display # 1) can perform time synchronization by a highly accurate synchronization method. It is assumed that it has not been realized. That is, it is assumed that time synchronization is not established between the devices shown in FIG.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schedule table (content display schedule information) managed by the display # 1. If this schedule table is followed, if the time synchronization of all the devices in the information display system is ideally taken (the time managed by each device is not shifted), the display # 1 is , 19:02:00, display content distributed from Content Server # 1 for 1 minute 50 seconds, 19:00:19, 19:01:00, 19:04:00, and 19:05 The content distributed from the content server # 2 is displayed without problems from 45 minutes to 45 seconds. However, the following problems arise when the time synchronization is not established between the apparatuses.

  In order to simplify the problem description when the devices are not synchronized, the time of the content server # 1 is accurate as shown in FIG. 11, whereas the time of the content server # 2 is 2 minutes. It is assumed that display # 1 is in a state advanced by 3 minutes in a delayed state. However, it is assumed that there is no time lag due to frequency deviation (variation in the amount of deviation with time). Possible causes of the time difference of the content server # 2 are, for example, a time setting error or a time adjustment function failure.

  The content server # 1 estimates that the local time of the display # 1 has advanced by 3 minutes by the method described in the second embodiment, and starts the content distribution management information for the display # 1 as shown in FIG. The time is advanced by 3 minutes and the schedule (information content display schedule information) is distributed. Similarly, the content server # 2 estimates that the local time of the display # 1 has advanced by 5 minutes, and distributes the schedule by advancing the start time of the content distribution management information by 5 minutes as shown in FIG. . As a result, in the display # 1, two schedules are set at the same time.

  Therefore, the display according to the present embodiment has a problem that occurs due to the time synchronization between content servers as described above, that is, a plurality of content displays overlap at the same time (content display Crash) is detected and notified to the display administrator and content server administrator. Of course, not only the case where the start times overlap but also the case where the start time of the next content is reached before the end of the display of the content is detected. As a result, it is possible to prevent all or part of the content from being lost. In addition to notifying, when priorities are set in advance between the content servers, a higher priority may be displayed at the start time. Furthermore, when the priority order is not determined, the first-come-first-served order or later information may be overwritten, and special processing such as reproduction of a specific video as a failure handling may be performed. In addition to returning the collision information to the content server, processing for raising an alarm to a predetermined mail address or telephone number may be performed.

  Operations of the content server and the display according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the device configuration diagram (FIG. 5). Only the parts different from the content server and display of the second embodiment will be described.

  In the display 2 according to the present embodiment, the schedule management unit 223 includes information (content display start date / time, time lag information for each display, display time, content ID) distributed from the schedule creation / management unit 123 of each content server 1. ) To get. Further, the acquired information is registered and managed in the schedule table (see FIG. 4). At this time, the schedule management unit 223 checks whether the display times of the contents registered in the schedule table are duplicated. That is, whether the period from the start to the end of the display of the content corresponding to the newly registered information overlaps with the period from the display start to the display end of other content (including some overlap) Please check. When duplication is detected, the detection result is notified to the server that is the distribution source of the content where duplication has occurred. Thereafter, when the display start time is reached without the overlapping state being resolved, the display 2 executes the schedule execution procedure at the time of collision.

  When the content display duplication detection notification is received from the display 2, in the content server 1, the schedule creation / management unit 123 instructs the display and input / output I / F unit 111 via the content distribution management I / F unit 121. The display and input / output I / F unit 111 notifies the outside (operator) that a collision has occurred according to the instruction.

  As described above, in the information display system according to the present embodiment, the display has the same function as the display constituting the information display system according to the second embodiment and the function of detecting a content display collision, and detects the collision. In this case, the detected content is notified to the content server. Thereby, the same effect as that of the information display system described in the second embodiment can be obtained, and it is possible to prevent disappearance of all or part of the content due to the collision.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the display of the information display system described in the second embodiment has a content display collision detection function has been described. However, the display of the information display system described in the third embodiment has A content display collision detection function may be provided.

  As described above, the information display system according to the present invention is useful as an information display system including a display device (display) that displays information and a content server that manages content displayed on the display device. The present invention is suitable for an information display system configured such that the device and each content server individually perform time management.

1 Content server (information content distribution server)
2 Display 3 Information communication network 11 Input / output unit 12, 22 Control unit 13, 21 Communication unit 23 Display unit 111 Display and input / output I / F unit 121 Content distribution management I / F unit 122 Content creation / holding unit 123 Schedule creation / Management unit 124 Time management / calculation unit 125, 221 Content distribution information and time information distribution unit 131, 211 Communication I / F unit 222 Content holding unit 223 Schedule management unit 224 Time management unit 225 Content display management I / F unit 231 Display processing Part

Claims (15)

An information display system comprising one or more information content distribution servers and one or more display devices,
The information content distribution server acquires information on the local time managed by each display device, and displays the content so that each display device starts displaying the content at a desired timing based on the acquired information. Determine the start date and time for each display device,
The display device displays content associated with the display start date and time according to the display start date and time determined by the information content distribution server. The information content distribution server includes:
Information collecting means for acquiring information about the local time managed by each display device;
Schedule determining means for determining a display schedule including the display start date and time and the display duration of the content based on the information acquired by the information collecting means and the external instruction content;
Content distribution means for distributing to the display device the display schedule determined by the schedule determination means and the content to be displayed according to the display schedule;
The information display system according to claim 1, further comprising: The information collecting means specifies a display device in a state in which time synchronization is established with the own device based on information on the local time,
When determining the display start date and time of a certain content, the schedule determination means uses the same display start date and time on the display device in time synchronization with the own device among the display start dates and times on each display device that displays the content. The information display system according to claim 2, wherein the time is determined. When the schedule determination means determines the display start date and time of a certain content, the display start date and time on the display device that is not synchronized with the own device among the display start date and time on the display device that displays the content. Based on the difference between the reference time, which is the time managed by the own device, and the local time, which is managed by the display device, content display is started at the same timing as when the time is synchronized with the own device. It determines as follows. The information display system of Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The schedule determination means determines a display start date and time of content in a display device in a state where time synchronization with the own device is not taken into consideration in consideration of a signal transmission delay time between the display device and the display device. 4. The information display system according to 4. The display device includes:
When receiving the content distributed from the content distribution means and its display schedule, it is confirmed whether or not the scheduled display period of the content overlaps with the scheduled display period of the content distributed before that. Item 6. The information display system according to any one of Items 2 to 5. The display device includes:
If we detect duplicate content display periods,
The information display system according to claim 6, wherein the detected content is notified to the information content distribution server that has instructed to display content in the overlapping display scheduled period. The information content distribution server includes:
Information regarding the local time managed by each display device is acquired, and based on the acquired information, the reference time that is the time managed by the device itself and the display device from which the information is acquired are managed Information collecting means for calculating the difference in local time;
Based on the content of instructions from the outside, the display start date and time of the content in each display device is determined, and further, based on the difference calculated by the information collecting means, the reference at the time when the determined display start date and time is reached Schedule determination means for calculating an estimated difference that is a difference between local time managed by a display device that displays time and content;
Content distribution means for distributing the display start date and time and estimated difference, which are information generated by the schedule determination means, and corresponding content to a display device;
With
The display device includes:
When the display start date and time, the estimated difference, and the content distributed from the content distribution unit are acquired, the local date and time for starting the display of the content is determined based on the display start date and the estimated difference. The information display system according to claim 1. The information display system according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the information collection unit periodically acquires information related to a local time managed by each display device. An information content distribution server for distributing and displaying content to one or more display devices,
Information collecting means for acquiring information about the local time managed by each display device for displaying content;
Based on the information acquired by the information collecting means and the contents of instructions from the outside, a schedule determination for determining the display start date / time of each content for each display device so that each display device starts displaying the content at a desired timing Means,
Content distribution means for distributing the display start date and time determined by the schedule determination means and the content to be displayed according to the display start date and time to the display device;
An information content distribution server comprising: The information collecting means specifies a display device in a state in which time synchronization is established with the own device based on information on the local time,
When determining the display start date and time of a certain content, the schedule determination means uses the same display start date and time on the display device in time synchronization with the own device among the display start dates and times on each display device that displays the content. The information content distribution server according to claim 10, wherein the information content distribution server is determined on a date and time. When the schedule determination means determines the display start date and time of a certain content, the display start date and time on the display device that is not synchronized with the own device among the display start date and time on the display device that displays the content. Based on the difference between the reference time, which is the time managed by the own device, and the local time, which is managed by the display device, content display is started at the same timing as when the time is synchronized with the own device. The information content distribution server according to claim 11, wherein the information content distribution server is determined as follows. The schedule determination means determines a display start date and time of content in a display device in a state where time synchronization with the own device is not taken into consideration in consideration of a signal transmission delay time between the display device and the display device. 12. The information content distribution server according to 12. A display device that acquires content distributed from an information content distribution server and its display schedule, and displays the content according to the acquired display schedule,
When the display schedule includes information on the start date and time of content display and the difference between the local time managed by the information content distribution server and the local time managed by the own device, the reference date and time and the difference information A display device that determines a local date and time for starting content display based on the display. If the content and its display schedule are acquired, check whether the scheduled display period of the content overlaps with the display schedule period of the previously acquired content, and if a duplicate is detected, The display device according to claim 14, wherein the detected content is notified to the information content distribution server that has instructed to display the content.

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