JP2012118286A - Karaoke system adaptive to user attribute - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a background image and a lyrics subtitle appropriately matching a karaoke user's attributes such as age and sex without burdening or troubling the user.SOLUTION: A karaoke system adaptive to user attributes includes: music selecting operation discrimination means 22c which discriminates an operation timing when a user selects and reserves a musical piece; face image data acquisition means 36 which acquires face image data of the user imaged at the operation timing by a digital camera 22e; music selector's attribute determination means 37 which determines attributes of the user on the basis of the face image data; reservation management means 38 which associates an ID of the selected musical piece with the user/selector attribute data and manages them altogether; background image display control means 40a which displays background image data matching the user's attributes associated with the musical piece ID while the musical piece is being played; and lyrics character display control means 40b which displays lyrics character data matching the user's attributes associated with the musical piece ID.

Description

  The present invention relates to a karaoke system. In particular, the display mode of a background video or a lyrics telop can be changed in accordance with attributes such as a user's age and sex.

  The popular karaoke system is designed to enhance the singing atmosphere and support singing by displaying background video and lyrics telop on the display screen of the display device when playing karaoke music. It has become.

  By the way, since the karaoke system has become widespread and the chances of singing not only for relatives and entertainment but also for the purpose of maintaining and improving health have increased, the age and gender of users have been diversified. Some current karaoke systems can display a user video recorded by a user on a portable recording medium as a background video (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The displayed background image is displayed, and a lyrics telop is displayed as the performance progresses.

  In addition, a technique that can estimate the age and sex of a person who is an imaging target based on an image captured by a digital camera using an image analysis technique is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 2). Signs installed in stores have come to be used for digital signage to perform appropriate advertisements according to the age, sex, etc. of users.

JP 2009-8777 A JP 2008-282089 A

  However, although the background video and lyrics telop of the conventional karaoke system are designed to support a wide range of users, consideration has been given to individually responding to user attributes such as age and gender. There wasn't. In other words, even if the music is the same, the impression received varies depending on the age and gender of the singing user, and if the background video and lyrics telop are displayed uniformly, it is said that it corresponds to a wide range of users. It was sometimes difficult. That is, based on the judgment of the karaoke company, a background image suitable for each piece of music is set, but depending on the singer's age and sex, the singing atmosphere may not be raised.

  For example, when the scenery at the time when the song was popular is used as a background image for a so-called nutmello, it is actually a nostalgic video for users who know the era, For young users who do not know, there is a case where the background image cannot be understood and the singing atmosphere does not rise.

  In addition, in the case of an elderly person whose visual acuity has deteriorated, there is a case in which the lyric characters of the default size are too small to be read and cannot fully enjoy the pleasure of karaoke. In addition, when a young child sings, the kanji included in the lyrics may not be read.

  The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described circumstances, and is a background image that suitably corresponds to attributes such as the singer's age and sex, without any burden or effort on karaoke users, regardless of gender. Another object is to provide a user attribute compatible karaoke system capable of displaying a lyric telop.

  The present invention has the following features in order to achieve the above-described object. That is, the user attribute-compatible karaoke system of the present invention is a system capable of displaying a background video and lyrics telop in accordance with the performance of karaoke music, and includes an imaging means, a music selection operation identification means, a face image data acquisition means, A song selector attribute determining unit, a reservation managing unit, an attribute-corresponding background video database, an attribute-corresponding lyric character database, and at least one of a background video display control unit and a lyric character display control unit, To do.

  The imaging means is means for capturing a face image of a user who performs a music selection operation. The music selection operation identifying means is means for identifying an operation timing at which music is reserved for music selection by the user. The face image data acquisition means is means for acquiring the user's face image data imaged by the imaging means at the operation timing when the music is reserved for music selection by the user. The music selector attribute determining means is a means for comparing the face image data of the user who made the music selection reservation with predetermined attribute reference data to determine the attribute of the user. The reservation management means is a database for associating the music ID of the music reserved for music selection with the determined attribute data of the user and managing it in the reservation queue.

  The attribute-corresponding background video database is a database for storing background video data corresponding to user attributes. The attribute-corresponding lyric character database is a database for storing a plurality of types of lyric character data corresponding to the user's attributes for each music piece.

  When an arbitrary piece of music is played, the background video display control means acquires background video data corresponding to the attribute of the user associated with the song ID of the song from the attribute-corresponding background video database, and It is a means for displaying as a background image of music. The lyric character display control means obtains lyric character data corresponding to the attribute of the user associated with the song ID of the song from the attribute-corresponding song character database when any song is played, It is a means for displaying as a lyrics telop of the performance music.

  Further, in the user attribute-corresponding karaoke system having the above-described configuration, the karaoke that performs the music selection reservation operation with the imaging means, the music selection operation identification means, the face image data acquisition means, the music selector attribute determination means, and the attribute reference data. It can be provided in the remote control device.

  In the user attribute-corresponding karaoke system having such a configuration, for example, a user's face image is captured by a function of an imaging unit provided in the karaoke remote control device. That is, by the function of the music selection operation identifying means, for example, the timing at which the reserved music is finally narrowed down to one music in the music selection operation is identified, and at this timing, the imaging means faces the karaoke remote control device. When the user's face image is taken and the transfer button is operated, the face image data of the user facing the karaoke remote control device is acquired by the function of the face image data acquisition means.

  In addition, the function of the music selector attribute determination means determines attributes such as the user's age and sex based on the user's face image data. Then, a reservation queue is created by associating the music ID of the selected music piece with the attribute data of the user who made the music selection reservation by the function of the reservation management means.

  In the user attribute-compatible karaoke system, music is played according to a reservation queue. At this time, the background video display control means functions to acquire and display the background video data corresponding to the user attribute associated with the music ID of the music, and the function of the lyrics character display control means Lyric character data corresponding to the attribute of the user associated with the song ID of the song is acquired and displayed.

  In the user attribute compatible karaoke system of the present invention, the face image data of the user who made the music selection reservation is acquired, the attributes such as age and gender are determined, and the music ID of the reserved music is associated with the attribute data. To manage. When an arbitrary music piece is played, a background video or a lyrics telop is displayed in an appropriate manner corresponding to the attribute data of the singer who reserved the music piece.

  Therefore, for example, if the singer is an elderly person, a nostalgic street corner landscape is displayed as a background image, and if the singer is a young man, the current street corner landscape is displayed as a background image. If it is a child, the atmosphere of a song can be excited by displaying the character which is a hero among children.

  Also, for example, if the singer is an elderly person, the text size of the lyrics telop is displayed large, and if the singer is a child, the lyrics telop is displayed without using difficult kanji, thereby supporting the singing. be able to.

  Thus, according to the user attribute-compatible karaoke system of the present invention, the face image recognition is automatically performed only by performing the music selection reservation operation that is normally performed, so that the information stored in the ID card can be read, There is no need to identify each person by inputting information manually by the user. For this reason, it is possible to display background videos and lyrics telop that are suitable for attributes such as the singer's age and sex, without any burden or effort on karaoke users, regardless of age or gender. The person can fully enjoy the joy of singing using the karaoke system.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the user attribute corresponding | compatible karaoke system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The conceptual diagram which shows the structure of an attribute corresponding | compatible background image | video database. The conceptual diagram which shows the structure of an attribute corresponding | compatible lyric character database. The conceptual diagram which shows the structure of a reservation queue. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of a karaoke remote control apparatus.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a user attribute-compatible karaoke system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 show a user attribute-compatible karaoke system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a user attribute-compatible karaoke system. FIG. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the attribute-corresponding lyric character database, FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the reservation queue, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the karaoke remote control device.

<System overview>
A user attribute-compatible karaoke system (hereinafter abbreviated as karaoke system) according to an embodiment of the present invention is a system that can change the display mode of a background video or a lyrics telop according to a user's attribute, for example, Then, a face image of a user who made a music selection reservation is captured using a digital camera built in the karaoke remote control device, and attributes such as age and sex of the user who made the music selection reservation are determined by image recognition technology. Then, a reservation queue is created by associating the music ID of the music reserved for music selection with the attribute data of the user who made the music selection reservation, and the music is played according to the reservation queue. At this time, it is possible to display a suitable background video or lyrics telop in correspondence with the attribute of the user who made the music selection reservation for the music.

<Karaoke system>
The karaoke system 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a karaoke main body 21, a karaoke remote control device 22, a speaker 23, a microphone 24, a display device 25, and a mixing amplifier 26 as shown in FIG.

<Karaoke remote control device>
The karaoke remote control device 22 has a user interface function, and transmits / receives data to / from the transmission / reception means 35 of the karaoke main body 21 by a wired method or a wireless method. As shown in FIG. 1, the karaoke remote control device 22 includes a program functioning as a music searching means 22a, a music index database 22b, a program functioning as a music selection operation identifying means 22c, an input / output display section 22d, and a digital functioning as an imaging means. The camera 22e is provided with storage means (not shown) including electronic circuits and programs for transmitting and receiving data, flash memory, and the like. A music selection operation or the like is performed by operating switches attached to the karaoke remote controller 22 or various icons displayed on the input / output display unit 22d.

<Music search means / music index database>
The music search means 22a includes a program for searching for music by referring to the music index database 22b based on a user instruction. The music index database 22b is a database that describes attribute information of karaoke music used for performance in the karaoke system 10, and includes, for example, song number, song name, singer name, lyric of the singing part, trend time, and music genre. This includes various attribute information such as whether or not it is a category / duet song.

<Digital camera>
As shown in FIG. 5, the digital camera 22 e includes an imaging lens 51 disposed on the surface of the karaoke remote control device 22 and an imaging element 52 disposed inside the karaoke remote control device 22 as main components. . The digital camera 22e only needs to have the minimum necessary functions for capturing a face image in that the structure is simple and inexpensive. In particular, the karaoke remote control device 22 is used in a room with low illuminance. In view of this, it is preferable to mount the image pickup element 52 with high ISO sensitivity. In addition, an auto focus (AF) function, an automatic exposure (AE) function, a zoom function, and the like may be provided. By providing these functions, higher quality imaging can be performed. The face image data captured by the digital camera 22e is temporarily stored in storage means (not shown) of the karaoke remote control device 22, and transmitted to the karaoke main body 21 at a predetermined timing. The digital camera 22e may be built in the karaoke main body 21 instead of being built in the karaoke remote control device 22.

<Music selection operation identification means>
The music selection operation identifying means 22c is composed of a program for identifying an operation timing at which music is reserved for music selection by the user. In other words, the music selection operation identifying means 22c identifies the timing when the user makes a music selection reservation using the karaoke remote control device 22. When the user makes a music selection reservation, the user performs a search operation while looking at the input / output display unit 22d of the karaoke remote control device 22, and narrows down the desired music piece. It faces the imaging lens 51 of 22e. Therefore, for example, by identifying the time when the music to be reserved for music selection is finally narrowed down to one music as the operation timing, it is possible to reliably capture the face image of the user who made the music selection reservation. Note that the music selection operation identifying means 22 c is not built in the karaoke remote control device 22 but may be built in the karaoke main body 21 or may be an accessory device of the karaoke main body 21.

<Microphone>
The microphone 24 is a device for inputting singing voice. The singing voice signal input from the microphone 24 is mixed and amplified by the mixing amplifier 26 with the performance voice signal sent from the music reproduction control means 39 and output to the speaker 23. Note that the audio input signal from the microphone 24 may be digitally converted by an A / D converter (not shown) and used for scoring.

<Display device>
The display device 25 is a device for displaying a background video, lyrics telop, and the like related to karaoke music, and is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display.

<Karaoke body>
The karaoke main body 21 includes a central control means 31, ROM 32, RAM 33, HDD 34, transmission / reception means 35, face image data acquisition means 36, music selector attribute determination means 37, reservation management means 38, music reproduction control means 39, and video reproduction control means 40. It has. Furthermore, the video reproduction control means 40 includes a background video display control means 40a and a lyrics character display control means 40b. The HDD 34 stores a music database 34a, a video database 34b, an attribute-corresponding background video database 34c, and an attribute-corresponding lyric character database 34d. Although the present embodiment includes the background video display control means 40a and the attribute-corresponding background video database 34c, the lyric character display control means 40b, and the attribute-corresponding lyric character database 34d, the present invention provides background video display control. It is only necessary to include at least one of the means 40a and the attribute-corresponding background video database 34c, or the lyric character display control means 40b and the attribute-corresponding lyric character database 34d.

<Central control means>
The central control means 31 is a means for comprehensively controlling the karaoke main body 21 and is constituted by, for example, a CPU and its peripheral devices, and is controlled by the CPU or the like operating according to a program stored in the ROM 32 or the like. It comes to show the function.

<ROM / RAM>
The ROM 32 is a device for storing program data and numerical data for controlling each device constituting the karaoke main body 21, and is constituted by a semiconductor memory, for example. The RAM 33 functions as a temporary storage area for temporarily storing programs and various data, and is composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory. Note that the virtual RAM 33 may be configured using a hard disk storage device or the like instead of configuring the RAM 33 with a physical semiconductor memory. In the present embodiment, a reservation queue 33a and face image data 33b are stored in the RAM 33. As shown in FIG. 4, the reservation queue 33a is a data table in which a song ID, attribute data, background video ID, and lyric character ID are arranged in order of performance for karaoke songs reserved for song selection. In some cases, other identification data such as the user ID of the user who performed the processing is associated. The reservation queue 33a is configured by associating only the music ID and the attribute data of the user who made the music selection reservation, and the background video ID and the lyric character ID are referred to when performing the music. Also good. The face image data 33b is data relating to a music selection reservation person that is captured by the digital camera 22e and acquired by the function of the face image data acquisition means 36.

<HDD>
The HDD 34 functions as a mass storage device, and stores a music database 34a, a video database 34b, an attribute-corresponding background video database 34c, an attribute-corresponding lyric character database 34d, and attribute reference data 34e. Note that a mass storage device such as a DVD capable of rewriting data may be used instead of the HDD 34 or together with the HDD 34.

<Music database / video database>
The music database 34a is a database configured in association with music IDs for music data configured by synchronizing performance data (MIDI (registered trademark) data) and lyrics rendering data. The performance data is digital data for controlling the performance of each music piece, and the lyric rendering data includes display timing data and color change data of lyric characters synchronized with the performance. The video database 34b is a database that stores a predetermined number of background videos displayed as defaults corresponding to karaoke music pieces to be played as video files corresponding to music IDs of the karaoke music pieces.

<Attribute-corresponding background video database / Attribute-corresponding lyrics character database>
The attribute-corresponding background video database 34c is a database that stores background video data corresponding to user attributes, and has a structure as shown in FIG. 2, for example. The attribute-corresponding lyric character database 34d is a database in which a plurality of types of lyric character data corresponding to user attributes are stored for each music piece, and has a structure as shown in FIG. 3, for example. In the examples shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, age and gender are the user attributes, but the user attributes are not limited to these, for example, the birthplace where features of facial expressions appear, Asians, It may be of an ethnic type such as European or African. The number of age categories is not limited to that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the number of categories may be reduced or the number of categories may be increased. In the attribute-corresponding background video database 34c, the background video ID does not have to be different for each music piece, and a common background video ID may be used for a plurality of music pieces.

<Attribute reference data>
The attribute reference data 34e is a database in which feature points of face image data corresponding to age, gender, etc. are made into a library, and is used when the music selector attribute determination means 37 determines the attribute of the user who made the music selection reservation. Is done. The attribute reference data 34e includes, for example, contour data of organs such as eyes, eyebrows, nose, chin, mouth, ears, and interval data of each organ. For example, the attribute reference data 34e is classified into male or female regarding gender, and classified into less than 10 years, 10 years old to 39 years old, 40 years old to 59 years old, and 60 years old or older regarding age. In other words, men and women can distinguish between eyes and eyebrows or skin color depending on the presence or absence of makeup and the difference in skeleton. In addition, with age, the shape of the mouth and eyes changes, wrinkles occur in the eyes and the corners of the eyes, and spots and the like increase, so that the age can be determined.

<Transmitting / receiving means>
The transmission / reception means 35 includes an electronic circuit and a program for transmitting / receiving data between the karaoke main body 21 and the karaoke remote control device 22. In the present embodiment, data is transmitted and received between the karaoke main body 21 and the karaoke remote control device 22 by infrared communication.

<Face image data acquisition means>
The face image data acquisition means 36 includes a program for acquiring the user's face image data captured by the digital camera 22e at the operation timing when the music is reserved for music selection by the user. That is, at the operation timing when the music is reserved for music selection, the user's face image is captured by the digital camera 22e, and the captured face image data is acquired by the function of the face image data acquisition means 36. This is used for attribute determination in the music selector attribute determination means 37. In the present embodiment, the face image data acquisition unit 36 is included in the karaoke main body 21, but the face image data acquisition unit 36 may be included in the karaoke remote control device 22.

<Music selector attribute determination means>
The music selector attribute determination means 37 is composed of a program for comparing the face image data of the user who made the music selection reservation with the predetermined attribute reference data 34e and determining the attribute of the user. That is, the music selector attribute determination means 37 extracts a portion to be determined based on the acquired face image data, removes noise, converts the data description, and the like by the image processing function. Next, using the comparison and determination function, the face image data after image processing and the attribute reference data 34e are used to perform an operation according to a predetermined algorithm to determine attributes relating to the age and sex of the user having the face image data. To do. The attribute determination based on the face image data is described in detail in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-282089 presented as Patent Document 2.

  Note that the determination result in the music selector attribute determination means 37 is not used as it is, but the determination result is presented to the user on the display screen of the karaoke remote control device 22 and the formal determination is made after the user performs the confirmation process. By setting the result, the reliability of the determination result can be increased. Further, a determination result correction function may be provided. In the present embodiment, the music selector attribute determination means 37 is included in the karaoke main body 21, but the music selector attribute determination means 37 may be included in the karaoke remote control device 22. In this case, the attribute reference data 34e is preferably included in the karaoke remote control device 22.

<Reservation management means>
The reservation management means 38 generates a reservation queue 33a by arranging the music IDs reserved for music selection by the user using the function of the music search means 22a in the order of performance, and stores the reservation queue 33a in the RAM 33 for management. It consists of the program. In the reservation queue 33a of the present embodiment, the attribute data of the user who made the music selection reservation, the background video ID, and the lyric character ID are associated with the music ID. Further, as will be described in detail later, when the background video ID and the lyric character ID corresponding to the attribute of the user who made the music selection reservation are linked in the reservation queue 33a, the music is played. Instead of the default background image, a background image and lyrics characters corresponding to the attribute of the user who made the music selection reservation are displayed.

<Music playback control means>
The music reproduction control means 39 is an electronic circuit for digitally reproducing the sound source data using the performance data extracted from the music database 34a based on the music ID and converting it to analog and outputting it to the mixing amplifier 26. As described above, the mixing amplifier 26 mixes the singer's singing voice signal input from the microphone 24 and the performance voice signal sent from the music reproduction control means 39, and amplifies the signal by the amplifier function to produce the speaker 23. It is a device for outputting more.

<Video playback control means>
The video reproduction control means 40 is basically based on the background video data set as default for the karaoke music extracted from the video database 34b and the lyrics rendering data included in the performance data when playing the karaoke music. Are generated in synchronization with the performance data of the karaoke music piece and output to the display device 25. Note that the video reproduction control means 40 of the present embodiment includes a program for exhibiting the functions of the background video display control means 40a and the lyrics character display control means 40b. The background video display control means 40a and the lyric character display control means 40b function when the background video ID and the lyric character ID based on the attribute of the user who made the music selection reservation are included in the reservation queue 33a.

<Background video display control means>
The background video display control means 40a obtains background video data corresponding to the attribute of the user linked to the music ID of the music from the attribute corresponding background video database 34c when an arbitrary music is played. , And a program for displaying as a background image of the music. That is, in the karaoke system 10, the performance of the reservation management means 38 is performed according to the order of the music described in the reservation queue 33a. At this time, the attribute ID is associated with the music ID from the attribute corresponding background video database 34c. The background video data corresponding to the attribute of the user is acquired, and the acquired background video data is displayed on the display device 25 as a background video instead of the default background video. For example, if the song selector is an elderly person, a nostalgic background image familiar to the elderly is displayed, and if the song selector is a child, a background image showing popular characters among children is displayed. Let

<Lyric character display control means>
The lyric character display control means 40b obtains lyric character data corresponding to the attribute of the user associated with the song ID of the song from the attribute-corresponding song character database 34d when an arbitrary song is played. , And a program for displaying as a lyrics telop of the performance music. That is, as described above, in the karaoke system 10, the performance of the reservation management means 38 is performed according to the order of the music described in the reservation queue 33a. At this time, from the attribute corresponding lyrics character database 34d, The lyric character data corresponding to the user attribute associated with the music ID is acquired, and the acquired lyric character data is displayed on the display device 25 as a lyrics telop instead of the default lyric character. For example, when the music selector is an elderly person, the size of the lyrics character is displayed larger than the default, and when the music selector is a child, the lyrics character in which difficult kanji is written in hiragana is displayed.

<Other embodiments>
The devices and means constituting the system of the present invention and its peripheral devices are not limited to those described above, and only the necessary devices and means are configured according to the purpose of use, or other devices and means are appropriately added. Can be. Further, each unit may be configured as a unit in which a plurality of functions are integrated, instead of being configured separately. Further, the karaoke system may be operated as a karaoke performance terminal connected to the host device via a network instead of operating alone.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 User attribute corresponding karaoke system 21 Karaoke main body 22 Karaoke remote control apparatus 22a Music search means 22b Music index database 22c Music selection operation identification means 22d Input / output display part 22e Digital camera 23 Speaker 24 Microphone 25 Display apparatus 26 Mixing amplifier 31 Central control means 32 ROM
33 RAM
33a Reservation queue 33b Face image data 34 HDD
34a Music database 34b Video database 34c Attribute-corresponding background video database 34d Attribute-corresponding lyric character database 34e Attribute reference data 35 Transmission / reception means 36 Face image data acquisition means 37 Music selector attribute determination means 38 Reservation management means 39 Music playback control means 40 Music playback control means 40 Video playback control Means 40a Background video display control means 40b Lyric character display control means 51 Imaging lens 52 Imaging element

Claims (2)

A karaoke system capable of displaying background video and lyrics telop in accordance with the performance of karaoke music,
Imaging means, music selection operation identification means, face image data acquisition means, music selector attribute determination means, reservation management means, attribute-corresponding background video database and background video display control means, or attribute-corresponding lyric character database and lyric characters And at least one of display control means,
The imaging means captures a face image of a user who performs a music selection operation,
The music selection operation identifying means identifies an operation timing when a music is reserved for music selection by a user,
The face image data acquisition means acquires user face image data imaged by the imaging means at the operation timing,
The music selector attribute determining means compares the face image data of the user who made the music selection reservation with predetermined attribute reference data to determine the attribute of the user,
The reservation management means associates the music ID of the music reserved for music selection with the attribute data of the determined user and manages it in a reservation queue,
The attribute-corresponding background video database stores background video data corresponding to user attributes,
The attribute-corresponding lyric character database stores a plurality of types of lyric character data corresponding to the user's attributes for each song,
The background video display control means acquires background video data corresponding to the attribute of the user associated with the music ID of the music from the attribute-corresponding background video database when an arbitrary music is played. , Display it as the background video of the song,
The lyric character display control means obtains lyric character data corresponding to the attribute of the user associated with the tune ID of the tune from the attribute lyric character database when an arbitrary tune is played. , Display as a lyrics telop of the music
A karaoke system that supports user attributes.   The image pickup means, the music selection operation identification means, the face image data acquisition means, the music selector attribute determination means, and the attribute reference data are provided in a karaoke remote control device that performs a music selection reservation operation. The user attribute-compatible karaoke system according to claim 1.

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