JP5649470B2 - Broadcast media measurement system and method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a broadcast media measurement system and method, and more particularly, to a broadcast media measurement system and method that can identify a broadcast station or media and utilize it for contact rate measurement and the like.
“Broadcasting station or media” and “broadcasting media” are, for example, organizations and broadcasting / distributing / reporting materials / contents to a large number of unspecified recipients on TVs, computers, radios, mobile devices, etc. Refers to organization / subject.

In recent years, in addition to terrestrial digital broadcasting, the spread of BS digital broadcasting and CS-specific channel broadcasting, and the emergence of new broadcasting services are expected to further diversify broadcasting services.
Patent Literature 1 describes a viewing channel determination device that determines a broadcast wave channel that is being viewed in television audience rating measurement. This viewing channel determination apparatus can detect which source is actually viewed even in an AV television with a built-in BS tuner, and can perform channel determination with high accuracy for the detected source.

Japanese Patent No. 3035408

In an environment where the recent diversification of broadcasting services is being promoted, it is expected that the number of cases where the same or very similar content is broadcast from different broadcasting stations will increase.
Currently, several media contact rate measurement systems for specifying broadcast stations and broadcast media using audio characterization information have been proposed and implemented. Note that the voice characterizing information is, for example, a component that is extracted from an audio signal or a video signal. However, in the conventional media contact rate measurement system, when the same content material or similar content material is broadcast from different broadcasting stations, the number of cases in which it is difficult to specify the source of the material only with the audio characterization information increases, It is assumed that sufficient accuracy may not be obtained.

  In view of the above, the present invention is a material / content that is viewed / contacted even when the same content material / content or similar content material / content is broadcast from different broadcasting stations or media at the same time or similar time. The purpose is to identify the broadcasting station or media that is the source of

According to the first solution of the present invention,
In a broadcast media measurement system for identifying a broadcast station or media that includes a surveyed household device and a center facility, and the center facility broadcasts and distributes content that is viewed, listened to, and contacted by the surveyed household device,

The surveyed household device is:
Additional information including viewing time, which is the time of viewing on the surveyed household device, creates viewing characterization data by extracting a characteristic component from the audio signal viewed on the surveyed household device, Create survey target data including identification information of the survey target household device and viewing characterization data, and transmit the survey target data to the center facility,

The center facility is
The viewing characterization data included in the survey target data received from the survey target household device is collated with each master characterization data obtained by extracting the characteristic component from the broadcast wave audio signal by each broadcast station or media. For each similarity,
When one master characterization data in which each degree of similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold is specified, a first determination is made that specifies the corresponding broadcast station or media as a viewing broadcast station or media viewed by the surveyed household device. Done
If there are multiple master characterization data where each similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold,
When the difference between the similarity between the first candidate and the second candidate having a higher similarity of the corresponding broadcast station or media is a certain value or more, a second determination is made to identify the first candidate as a viewing broadcast station or media,
On the other hand, when the difference in similarity between the first candidate and the second candidate of the corresponding broadcast station or media is not equal to or greater than a certain value, the viewing time and the master characterization data for each of the first candidate and the second candidate To the difference with the reception time of the broadcast wave that has created a value corrected with a predetermined calibration value corresponding to the identification information of the surveyed household device and corresponding to the corresponding broadcast station or media, There is provided a broadcast media measurement system that performs a third determination that identifies a broadcast station or media having a smaller value as a viewing broadcast station or media.

According to the second solution of the present invention,
Broadcast media in a broadcast media measuring system for specifying a broadcast station or media that includes a surveyed household device and a center facility, and the center facility broadcasts / distributes content that is viewed, listened to, or contacted by the surveyed household device A measuring method,

The surveyed household device is:
Additional information including viewing time, which is the time of viewing on the surveyed household device, creates viewing characterization data by extracting a characteristic component from the audio signal viewed on the surveyed household device, Create survey target data including identification information of the survey target household device and viewing characterization data, and transmit the survey target data to the center facility,

The center facility is
The viewing characterization data included in the survey target data received from the survey target household device is collated with each master characterization data obtained by extracting the characteristic component from the broadcast wave audio signal by each broadcast station or media. For each similarity,
When one master characterization data in which each degree of similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold is specified, a first determination is made that specifies the corresponding broadcast station or media as a viewing broadcast station or media viewed by the surveyed household device. Done
If there are multiple master characterization data where each similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold,
When the difference between the similarity between the first candidate and the second candidate having a higher similarity of the corresponding broadcast station or media is a certain value or more, a second determination is made to identify the first candidate as a viewing broadcast station or media,
On the other hand, when the difference in similarity between the first candidate and the second candidate of the corresponding broadcast station or media is not equal to or greater than a certain value, the viewing time and the master characterization data for each of the first candidate and the second candidate To the difference with the reception time of the broadcast wave that has created a value corrected with a predetermined calibration value corresponding to the identification information of the surveyed household device and corresponding to the corresponding broadcast station or media, There is provided a broadcast media measurement method for performing a third determination for identifying a broadcast station or media having a smaller value as a viewing broadcast station or media.

  According to the present invention, even if the same content material / content or similar content material / content is broadcast from different broadcast stations or media at the same time or similar time, the broadcast that is the source of the viewed / contacted material / content Stations or media can be identified with sufficient determination accuracy.

The block diagram of a measurement system. The block diagram of the household apparatus 2-1 to 2-n to be investigated. The block diagram of the master production | generation apparatus 1. FIG. The functional block diagram of the center equipment 3. FIG. The flowchart of the determination process of the viewing determination part 307. Explanatory drawing of a viewing-and-listening data storage part. Explanatory drawing of the transmission path model of a broadcast signal. Explanatory drawing of the calibration memory | storage part which memorize | stores a calibration value. Explanatory drawing of the viewing determination using a calibration value.

1. system

FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a measurement system.
The master generating apparatus 1 receives all broadcast waves that can be received by each broadcasting station 5-1 to 5-m and can be received in a certain area, and is an audio signal that is broadcast by each broadcasting station 5-1 to 5-m. Create master characterization data from Here, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-275032, the characteristic data is obtained by extracting the characteristic component from an audio signal or a video signal (for example, the average amplitude for each pass band is logarithmically). Converted power vector) (details will be described later). This master characterization data is used as a reference when performing viewing determination. Receivable broadcasts can include various broadcasts such as satellite broadcasts such as BS broadcasts and CS broadcasts, and IP retransmissions and broadcasts via the Internet such as VOD, in addition to terrestrial broadcasts. The master characterization data created by the master generation device 1 is sent to the center facility 3 at a predetermined timing or a predetermined cycle. The master generation apparatus 1 preferably has a duplex configuration in consideration of system redundancy. In addition, the master production | generation apparatus 1 can also be installed in the same place and the same area as the center facility 3, and can also be provided in the center facility 3.
Measuring devices are installed in the surveyed household devices 2-1 to 2-n, and viewing characteristics are provided by inputting audio signals output from the televisions viewed by the surveyed household devices 2-1 to 2-n. Create data. The created viewing characterization data is transmitted to the center facility 3 together with additional information such as a household / TV identification number, TV ON / OFF information, and remote control information.
The center facility 3 searches for viewing candidate channels (broadcast stations and media) by comparing the viewing characterization data with the master characterization data. When there are multiple viewing candidate channels, as described later, the viewing channel (broadcasting station / media) is determined by considering the TV remote control information and the delay difference obtained from the search results of each candidate and the viewing characterization data. By doing so, the determination accuracy is improved.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration diagram of the household devices 2-1 to 2-n to be surveyed.
Each surveyed household device 2-1 to 2-n has a television receiver 21 (receives terrestrial / BS / CS, etc.), a recording / playback device 22 such as a DVR, a Blu-ray disc device, a hard disk device, and a measurement for viewing measurement. Machine 23 is provided.
The measuring device 23 inputs an audio signal output from the television receiver 21 to the audio input unit 231 using a line output, an earphone jack, an optical digital output, a microphone, or the like. The audio level detection unit 232 detects the signal level from the audio signal output from the audio input unit 231 and temporarily stores it in the data storage unit 234. The audio signal is converted into viewing characteristic data by the characteristic data generation unit 233 and stored in the data storage unit 234. Several methods for converting audio signals into viewing characterization data have been proposed, and any method may be adopted. For example, the TV ON / OFF detection unit 235 senses the TV ON / OFF state by monitoring the AC current value of the TV and determining the threshold value, and stores the TV ON / OFF information in the data storage unit 234. As will be described later, the center facility 3 determines the presence / absence of audio based on the level value output from the audio level detection unit 232 in addition to the current value, and improves the accuracy of the TV ON / OFF determination by taking this information into account. I can do it. The remote control information receiving unit 236 receives a signal (remote control information) output from the television remote controller simultaneously or in parallel with the television. As will be described later, the center facility 3 can obtain information on which channel (broadcast station / media) is selected by analyzing the remote control information received by the remote control information receiving unit 236. The clock 238 measures the viewing time viewed in the surveyed household. Note that the viewing time can include a date.
The data storage unit 234 includes additional information including viewing time by the clock 238, audio level information by the audio level detection unit 232, TV ON / OFF information by the TV ON / OFF detection unit 235, and remote control information by the remote control information reception unit 236, The viewing characterization data is stored correspondingly. The data transmission / reception unit 237 reads additional information including viewing time, audio level information, TV ON / OFF information, remote control information, and viewing characterization data from the data storage unit 234, and surveyed household device identification information (ID) At the same time, the data to be investigated is created by creating a file / data in a predetermined format. In addition, the data transmitting / receiving unit 237 transmits the created survey target data to the center facility 3 via a communication network such as the Internet or a cellular phone communication network at a predetermined cycle or a predetermined time or a predetermined timing.

In FIG. 3, the block diagram of the master production | generation apparatus 1 is shown.
In the master generation device 1, the receivers 11-1 to 11-m receive broadcast waves broadcast by the broadcast stations 5-1 to 5-m. The master characterization unit 12 creates master characterization data based on audio signals broadcast by the broadcasting stations 5-1 to 5-m received by the receivers 11-1 to 11-m. Here, as with the measuring device 23 of the household device 2 to be investigated, the audio signal is converted into viewing characterization data and stored in the data storage unit 13. As described above, several methods for converting audio signals into viewing characterization data have been proposed, and any method may be adopted. The master clock 15 measures the viewing time viewed in the surveyed household.
The data storage unit 13 stores the additional information including the reception time by the master clock 15 and the master data including the master characterization data in association with each other. The data transmission / reception unit 14 reads the additional information including the reception time and the master characteristic data from the data storage unit 13, and converts it into a file / data in a predetermined format together with the broadcasting station identification information (ID). Create master data. The data transmitting / receiving unit 14 transmits the created master data to the center facility 3 via a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile phone communication network at a predetermined cycle or a predetermined time or a predetermined timing.

FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of the center facility 3.
The master data and the survey target data are transmitted from the master generation device 1 and the survey target household device 2 to the center facility 3 at regular time intervals or at predetermined timing, respectively. The data transmission / reception unit 301 receives master data generated from the audio signal broadcasted by each of the broadcasting stations 5-1 to 5-m by the master generation device 1 and stores it in the master data storage unit 302. Further, the data transmission / reception unit 301 receives the survey target data generated by the measuring device 23 installed in each survey target household device 2-1 to 2-n and stores it in the survey target data storage unit 303.
The search processing unit 305 performs a matching process on the viewing characterization data read from the survey target data storage unit 303 and each master characterization data read from the master data storage unit 302 in order, and indicates a matching degree (similarity). And the search result storage unit 306 stores the search result including the broadcast station / media identification information (broadcast station / media ID) and the similarity corresponding to the broadcast station / media ID. The viewing determination unit 307 reads the calibration value corresponding to the survey target household device ID of the survey target data and the broadcast station / media ID of the master data from the calibration storage unit 304, and broadcast station / media from the search result storage unit 306. Read the ID and the similarity to it, determine the viewing channel (broadcasting station / media), and include the identification information of the household device to be surveyed, viewing time (date can be included), identification information of the viewing broadcaster / media Determination result The determination result is stored in the viewing data storage unit 308.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the viewing data storage unit.
As shown in the figure, the viewing data can include, for example, the date and time when the broadcast was viewed and the broadcasting station ID (station code) with respect to the identification information (No. in this example) of the household device to be surveyed. .

2. Broadcast / media specific processing

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the determination process of the viewing determination unit 307.
In this flowchart, in addition to the determination based on the similarity, the determination accuracy can be improved by using the remote control information and the broadcast delay amount unique to the station.
First, when the viewing determination process is started, the viewing determination unit 307 reads the broadcast station ID and the similarity to the broadcast station ID from the search result storage unit 306, and determines the viewing channel (broadcast station / media) based on the similarity (S41). . Here, when the same content / similar content is not broadcast in the same time zone / similar time zone, the viewing determination unit 307 has only one master characterization data that exceeds a certain threshold. It is determined that the channel (broadcasting station / media) has been viewed. When the program being watched is broadcasted simultaneously (or almost simultaneously) from other channels (broadcast stations and media), the viewing determination unit 307 determines the similarity to any of the master characterization data as a threshold value. There are multiple channel (broadcasting stations and media) candidates. In this case, the viewing determination unit 307 determines a channel (broadcast station / media) with the first candidate when the difference between the similarities of the first candidate and the second candidate is equal to or greater than a certain value (S42). For example, the difference between the similarity between the first candidate and the second candidate within the determination target time / time or the cumulative value of the similarity within the determination target time (eg, 1 minute) is similar to the similarity between the first candidate and the second candidate. Or the cumulative value of the first candidate is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (x%) or a predetermined threshold value, or the similarity of the first candidate or the cumulative value of the first candidate The determination can be made based on whether the value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (X%) or a predetermined threshold value.
On the other hand, if the difference between the similarities of the first candidate and the second candidate is not equal to or greater than a predetermined value in step S42, the viewing determination unit 307 adds the channel (broadcasting station / media) based on the similarity. If the channel (broadcast station / media) indicated by the remote control information exists as a channel (broadcast station / media) candidate by referring to the remote control information acquired as information, the viewing determination unit 307 displays the channel (broadcast station / media). It is determined that the user has watched (Media) (S43). If remote control information does not exist in step S43, the viewing determination unit 307 determines a channel (broadcast station / media) by paying attention to the delay amount unique to the station (S44) (details will be described later). If the channel (broadcast station / media) cannot be determined in step S44, the viewing determination unit 307 determines that the determination is impossible.
In steps S41, S42, S43, and S44, the viewing determination unit 307 determines a viewing channel (broadcast station / media).
Note that step S43 may be omitted. In that case, in the measuring instrument 23, the remote control information receiving unit 236 can be omitted, and the remote control information can be omitted from the additional information of the survey target data.

Next, the determination based on the delay amount unique to the station (step S44) will be described.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a transmission path model for broadcast signals.
If the time when the material broadcasted from the broadcasting station A at time t (on-air: OA) reaches the master characterization unit 12 of the master generation device 1 is the reception time tm (a), it is expressed as follows.
tm (a) = t + kd (a) + dd (a) + dj (a)
here,
The in-station delay of the broadcasting station A is expressed as kd (a),
The transmission path delay between the broadcasting station A and the master generation device 1 is dd (a),
Dj (a) is the delay of the receiver of the master generator 1
And Note that a is a parameter for identifying the broadcasting station A.
Moreover, when the time when the material OA from the broadcasting station A reaches the measuring device 23 of the surveyed household device 2-n is the viewing time ts (a, n), it is expressed as follows.
ts (a, n) = t + kd (a) + dd (a, n) + dj (a, n)
here,
Dd (a, n) is the delay of the transmission path between the broadcasting station A and the surveyed household device n.
Dj (a, n) is the delay of the receiver of the surveyed household device n
And Note that n is a parameter for identifying the survey target household 2-n.

Next, when the difference between the viewing time at the survey target household 2-n and the reception time at the material master generation device 1 by the broadcasting station A is a calibration value Δ (a, n), It is expressed as follows.
Δ (a, n) = ts (a, n) −tm (a)
= {Dd (a, n) -dd (a)} + {dj (a, n) -dj (a)}
This value means a difference in delay amount between the master characterization data (route A) and the viewing characterization data (route B) received by the center facility 3. The calibration value is a value defined by a combination of the broadcasting stations 5-1 to 5-m and the installed household environment, etc., and when the measuring device 23 is attached or set to the surveyed household devices 2-1 to 2-n It may be set manually after installation or manually at a predetermined timing, or by using a reference signal for calibration value measurement at the time of installation, periodically after installation or at a predetermined timing. It is also possible to consider a mechanism for performing automatic update by measuring the above.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a calibration storage unit that stores calibration values.
A calibration memory | storage part memorize | stores the calibration value of each broadcasting station with respect to the identification information (for example, No, ID, etc.) of each investigation object household apparatus.
The parameters indicating the broadcasting stations A, B, C, D, and E are respectively represented by a, b, c, d, and e. No. 1, No. 1 2, no. 3,. Parameters indicating 1000 survey target households are represented by 1, 2, 3,..., 1000, respectively.

The calibration storage unit can be created as follows, for example.
Identification of survey target data including viewing characterization data created using a station that is not simulcast, or a broadcasting station or media specified by a channel at the time of installation / setting The survey target data including the created additional information including the information is created, and the survey target data is sent to the center facility. On the other hand, the center facility obtains the difference between the viewing time of the received survey target data and the reception time of the master characterization data of the corresponding broadcasting station or media, and identifies the identification information of the surveyed household device and the broadcasting station / media. For the identification information, the difference can be stored in the calibration storage unit as a calibration value.
Such a device for setting the calibration storage unit may be provided inside the center facility or provided outside.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of viewing determination using a calibration value.
This figure shows a system when the same material is on-air (simultaneous broadcasting) at the broadcasting station A and the broadcasting station B at time T and the station B is viewed by the surveyed household apparatus n. At this time, since the broadcasting stations A and B are broadcasting the same material, the similarity between the viewing characterization data acquired from the surveyed household device n and the master characterization data of the broadcasting station A, and the viewing characterization data. In some cases, it may be difficult to find a sufficient difference in the similarity between the master station and the master characterization data of the broadcasting station B. Therefore, it is assumed that it is difficult to determine whether the surveyed household apparatus n has watched the broadcast station A or the broadcast station B.
Here, the difference T (a, n) between the viewing time at the surveyed household device n and the reception time at the master generation device 1 of the broadcasting station A, the viewing time at the surveyed household device n and the master generation device 1 The difference T (b, n) from the reception time of the broadcasting station B is as follows.
T (a, n) = kd (b) + dd (b, n) + dj (b, n)
− (Kd (a) + dd (a) + dj (a))
T (b, n) = kd (b) + dd (b, n) + dj (b, n)
− (Kd (b) + dd (b) + dj (b))
here,
The in-station delay of broadcasting station A is kd (a),
The transmission path delay between the broadcasting station A and the master generation device 1 is dd (a),
Dj (a) is the delay of the receiver of the master generator 1
Represented by
Also,
The in-station delay of the broadcasting station B is kd (b),
The transmission path delay between the broadcasting station B and the master generation device 1 is dd (b),
Dj (b) is the delay of the receiver of the master generator 1
Represented by
Also,
Dd (b, n) is the transmission path delay between the broadcasting station B and the surveyed household device n.
Dj (b, n) is the delay of the receiver of the broadcasting station B,
Represented by

Here, as described above, Δ (a, n) of the calibration values of the household device n to be surveyed and the broadcasting station a is as follows.
Δ (a, n) = ts (a, n) −tm (a)
= {Dd (a, n) -dd (a)} + {dj (a, n) -dj (a)}
Further, Δ (b, n) of the calibration values of the household device n to be surveyed and the broadcasting station b is given by the following equation.
Δ (b, n) = ts (b, n) −tm (b)
= {Dd (b, n) -dd (b)} + {dj (b, n) -dj (b)}

Correction values T ′ (a, n) and T ′ (b, n) obtained by subtracting previously acquired calibration values for the differences T (a, n) and T (b, n) are as follows. It becomes.

Correction value T ′ (a, n) = T (a, n) −Δ (a, n)
= {Kd (b) -kd (a)} + {dd (b, n) -dd (a, n)}
+ {Dj (b, n) -dj (a, n)}

Correction value T ′ (b, n) = T (b, n) −Δ (b, n)
= 0

By determining that the correction value T ′ is superior to the one close to 0, the viewing channel (broadcast station / media) can be determined more accurately. In this example, it is possible to correctly determine that the broadcasting station viewed by the surveyed household device n is the B station.

A supplementary explanation of the equations will be given below.
1) “kd (b) −kd (a)” is a difference in delay amount unique to each broadcasting station, and has a certain variation depending on broadcasting facilities and operation forms in each station.
2) “dd (b, n) −dd (a, n)” is a difference in transmission delay between each station and household. This value may vary greatly depending on the transmission format in terrestrial broadcasting, sanitary broadcasting, IP broadcasting, and the like.
3) “dj (b, n) −dj (a, n)” is a delay difference for each reception channel (broadcast station / media) in the same receiver. In the case of the same broadcasting services such as terrestrial waves and satellite broadcasting, there is often no difference. In the case of a heterogeneous service, a difference appears by video / audio CODEC.

Hereinafter, description will be given with the following specific examples.
Assuming that the in-station delay of the broadcasting station A is 5 seconds and the sum of the delay of the transmission path between the broadcasting station A and the master generating apparatus and the delay of the receiver of the master generating apparatus is 0.1 second <1>, the master generation In the master characterization unit 12 of the apparatus 1, the reception time of the station A is T + 5.1 seconds <4>.
Note that the number indicated by <> corresponds to the number indicated by <> in the figure.
Assuming that the in-station delay of the broadcasting station B is 10 seconds and the sum of the delay of the transmission path between the broadcasting station B and the master generating device and the delay of the receiver of the master generating device is 0.2 seconds <2>, the master generating device In one master characterization unit 12, the reception time of station B is T + 10.2 seconds <5>.
Also, the in-station delay of the broadcasting station B is 10 seconds, and the total of the delay of the transmission path between the broadcasting station B and the surveyed household device n and the delay of the receiver of the surveyed household device n is 0.3 seconds <3> Then, in the measuring device of the surveyed household device n, the viewing time of the station B is T + 10.3 seconds <6>.
Therefore,
Difference between viewing time and reception time of station A at master generation device 1 (<6> − <4>)
= 10.3- 5.1 = 5.2 seconds .. <7>
Difference between viewing time and reception time of station B at master generation device 1 (<6> − <5>)
= 10.3-10.2 = 0.1 sec. <8>
It becomes.
Here, the calibration values for station A and station B in this household are as follows.
Calibration value of station A = <3> − <1> = 0.2 seconds Calibration value of station B = <3> − <2> = 0.1 seconds Viewing time of the station A in the master generation device 1 When the correction of the calibration value is applied to the difference <7> between the reception times and the difference <8> between the viewing time and the reception time of the B station at the master generation device 1,
Correction value <7> ′ = 5 seconds for the difference between the viewing time and the reception time of station A in the master generation device 1
The correction value of the difference between the viewing time and the reception time of the B station at the master generation device 1 is <8> ′ = 0 seconds, and in this case, the correction value is determined to be superior to the one close to zero. It is possible to correctly determine that the broadcasting station viewed by the target household device n is the B station.

As described above, the center facility 3 performs viewing determination by the viewing determination unit, further generates viewing data, and stores it in the viewing data storage unit.

3. Characterization data calculation example

Hereinafter, an example of processing for calculating the characterized data (characterized data) (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-275032) will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an appropriate processing method can be used.
First, the amplitude data of the 10-second section is further divided into time frames of 100 frames and replaced with the respective average amplitudes V _j (i). One frame is a 100 millisecond interval. If the total number of amplitude data collected in the i-th frame interval is N, and the amplitude of the k-th data in the j-th band filter output is S _j (k), the i-th frame interval. Average amplitude V _j (i) is obtained by the following equation (1).

Next, the average amplitude V _j (i) of the j-th band filter output in the i-th frame section is logarithmically converted by the following equation (2) to obtain the power P _j (i).

The power P _j (i) is obtained for each of the four bands, and a power vector divided and calculated in the four bands is defined as a power vector P (i), which is expressed by the following equation (3), The characteristic data of the i-th frame section is used.

Characteristic data of the frame section as described above is obtained for each of 100 frames. A vector of the 100 frames of characteristic data is defined as block data CB (i) as in the following equation (4), This is the characterization data for the audio signal measured this time.

As described above, the block data CB _R (i, b) represented by the following equation (5) relating to the unknown broadcast station R being received can be generated for each measurement period.

The present invention can be applied to various investigations and measurements such as audience rating, listening rate, media contact rate, etc. of televisions, personal computers, radios, portable devices and the like.
In the above, mainly the description of the broadcasting station etc. has been described, but the present invention is also applicable to the identification of the broadcasting station / media that broadcasts / distributes various contents / materials such as televisions, personal computers, radios, portable devices, etc. be able to.
In addition, the configuration and determination processing based on “similarity” has been mainly described above. However, “similarity” includes similarity at a certain time or certain time, a predetermined period, or within a certain period. Indices, values, and the like representing various degrees of similarity such as cumulative values and average values of a plurality of similarities can be included.

1 Master generator 1
11-1 to 11-m Receiver 12 Master characterization unit 13 Data storage unit 14 Data transmission / reception units 2-1 to 2-n Surveyed household device 21 Television receiver 22 Recording / playback device 23 Measuring device 3 Center facility 5-1 ~ 5-m broadcasting station

Claims (12)

In a broadcast media measurement system for identifying a broadcast station or media that includes a surveyed household device and a center facility, and the center facility broadcasts and distributes content that is viewed, listened to, and contacted by the surveyed household device,

The surveyed household device is:
Additional information including viewing time, which is the time of viewing on the surveyed household device, creates viewing characterization data by extracting a characteristic component from the audio signal viewed on the surveyed household device, Create survey target data including identification information of the survey target household device and viewing characterization data, and transmit the survey target data to the center facility,

The center facility is
The viewing characterization data included in the survey target data received from the survey target household device is collated with each master characterization data obtained by extracting the characteristic component from the broadcast wave audio signal by each broadcast station or media. For each similarity,
When one master characterization data in which each degree of similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold is specified, a first determination is made that specifies the corresponding broadcast station or media as a viewing broadcast station or media viewed by the surveyed household device. Done
If there are multiple master characterization data where each similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold,
When the difference between the similarity between the first candidate and the second candidate having a higher similarity of the corresponding broadcast station or media is a certain value or more, a second determination is made to identify the first candidate as a viewing broadcast station or media,
On the other hand, when the difference in similarity between the first candidate and the second candidate of the corresponding broadcast station or media is not equal to or greater than a certain value, the viewing time and the master characterization data for each of the first candidate and the second candidate To the difference with the reception time of the broadcast wave that has created a value corrected with a predetermined calibration value corresponding to the identification information of the surveyed household device and corresponding to the corresponding broadcast station or media, A broadcast media measurement system that performs a third determination that identifies a broadcast station or media having a smaller value as a viewing broadcast station or media. The surveyed household device further includes remote control information output from a TV remote control in the additional information,
After the second determination, if a broadcast station or media indicated by the remote control information exists as a candidate, a fourth determination is performed to identify it as a viewing broadcast station or media,
The broadcast media measurement system according to claim 1, wherein if the broadcast station or media indicated by the remote control information does not exist as a candidate, the third determination is executed.
Receiving broadcast waves from each broadcast station or media, extracting the characteristic component from the audio signal broadcast by each broadcast station or media, creating the master characterization data, and broadcasting by the master generation device The master generation device for generating master data including reception time that is reception time, identification information of a broadcasting station or media, and the master characterization data is further provided. Broadcast media measurement system.
The master generation device is provided outside the center facility, the master generation device transmits the created master data to the center facility,
4. The broadcast media measurement system according to claim 3, wherein the center facility receives the master data.
The master generator is
A plurality of receivers for receiving broadcast waves broadcast by each broadcasting station or media;
A master characterization unit that creates the master characterization data based on an audio signal broadcast by each broadcast station or media received by each receiver;
A master clock for measuring the reception time received by the master generation device;
Based on the master characterization data by the master characterization unit and the reception time by the master clock, the master data is created, and a master data transmission / reception unit that transmits the master data to the center facility via a communication network;
The broadcast media measuring system according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising:
The surveyed household device is:
A characteristic data generating unit that converts an audio signal output from a television receiver into the viewing characteristic data;
A clock for measuring the viewing time viewed on the surveyed household device;
A data transmission / reception unit that creates the survey target data based on the viewing characterization data by the characterization data generation unit and the viewing time by the clock, and transmits the survey target data to the center facility via a communication network; The broadcast media measuring system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:
The center facility is
A data transmission / reception unit for receiving survey target data generated by the survey target household device;
A search processing unit that sequentially performs matching processing on the viewing characterization data of the survey target data and the master characterization data of a plurality of master data, and calculates a similarity;
A calibration storage unit that stores a calibration value for each identification information of each broadcasting station or media for the identification information of each household device to be investigated,
A viewing data storage unit for storing the viewing time of viewing the broadcast, the identification information of the broadcasting station or the media, with respect to the identification information of the household device to be investigated,
Based on the similarity calculated by the search processing unit, the viewing time of the survey target data, the reception time of the master data, and the calibration value of the calibration storage unit, the first determination, the second determination, and the third determination A viewing determination unit that performs the determination of the viewing broadcast station or the media, stores the determination result including the identification information of the household device to be investigated, the viewing time, the identification information of the viewing broadcast station or the media in the viewing data storage unit;
The broadcast media measuring system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:
The calibration value includes the viewing time when the content / material on-air at the broadcasting station reaches the surveyed household device, and the content / material on-air at the broadcasting station reaches the master generation device. The broadcast media measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast media measurement system is a difference from a reception time which is a time.
The calibration value setting is
Survey target data including viewing characterization data created using non-simultaneous stations in survey target households, or survey target including additional information created including broadcast station or media identification information identified by channel Create data, send it to the center facility,
The center facility obtains a difference between the viewing time of the survey target data and the reception time of the master characterization data of the corresponding broadcast station or media, and identifies the survey household device identification information and the broadcast station or media identification 9. The broadcast media measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the difference is stored in the calibration storage unit as a calibration value for information.
The calibration value is manually set at the time of installation or setting of the surveyed household device, periodically or at a predetermined timing after installation, or using a reference signal for measuring the calibration value, 10. The broadcast media measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast media measurement system is automatically updated by measuring a reference signal at the time of installation, periodically after installation, or at a predetermined timing.
Broadcast media in a broadcast media measuring system for specifying a broadcast station or media that includes a surveyed household device and a center facility, and the center facility broadcasts / distributes content that is viewed, listened to, or contacted by the surveyed household device A measuring method,

The surveyed household device is:
Additional information including viewing time, which is the time of viewing on the surveyed household device, creates viewing characterization data by extracting a characteristic component from the audio signal viewed on the surveyed household device, Create survey target data including identification information of the survey target household device and viewing characterization data, and transmit the survey target data to the center facility,

The center facility is
The viewing characterization data included in the survey target data received from the survey target household device is collated with each master characterization data obtained by extracting the characteristic component from the broadcast wave audio signal by each broadcast station or media. For each similarity,
When one master characterization data in which each degree of similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold is specified, a first determination is made that specifies the corresponding broadcast station or media as a viewing broadcast station or media viewed by the surveyed household device. Done
If there are multiple master characterization data where each similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold,
When the difference between the similarity between the first candidate and the second candidate having a higher similarity of the corresponding broadcast station or media is a certain value or more, a second determination is made to identify the first candidate as a viewing broadcast station or media,
On the other hand, when the difference in similarity between the first candidate and the second candidate of the corresponding broadcast station or media is not equal to or greater than a certain value, the viewing time and the master characterization data for each of the first candidate and the second candidate To the difference with the reception time of the broadcast wave that has created a value corrected with a predetermined calibration value corresponding to the identification information of the surveyed household device and corresponding to the corresponding broadcast station or media, A broadcast media measurement method for performing a third determination that identifies a broadcast station or media having a smaller value as a viewing broadcast station or media. The surveyed household device further includes remote control information output from a TV remote control in the additional information,
After the second determination, if a broadcast station or media indicated by the remote control information exists as a candidate, a fourth determination is performed to identify it as a viewing broadcast station or media,
The broadcast media measurement method according to claim 11, wherein if the broadcast station or media indicated by the remote control information does not exist as a candidate, the third determination is executed.

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