KR100442889B1 - Television Control Based On Detection of Age Flag - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for allowing a user (viewing limit holder) to allow or prohibit watching TV for viewers (infants, children, adolescents, and minors) and a method for controlling viewing restriction thereof.

The present invention provides the program rating information (usually provided in the form of numbers and patterns representing the age of viewing at a specific position on the display screen of the broadcast program) provided by the broadcasting station for the received and displayed TV broadcast program image Extract and decode from the signal, and compare the decoded rating display with the current parental level setting rating information previously set by the user to allow viewing if the program is allowable, otherwise the viewing is prohibited for the broadcast. Control is automatically performed. Accordingly, the present invention provides a means for automatically and juveniles, children, adolescents, and minors from convenient and excessively sensuous or violent video objects by automatically determining and controlling whether the program can be viewed using the received video signal.

Description

Restrictions and Methods of Viewing by TV Broadcasting Program Level {Television Control Based On Detection of Age Flag}

The present invention relates to an apparatus for restricting TV viewing by an age that can allow viewing of a corresponding broadcast and a parental control method for restricting viewing when watching TV.

Generally, TV broadcast programs are in a situation in which they can be freely received and viewed regardless of the age of the viewer. However, TV broadcasting programs need institutional and functional devices to protect infants, children, adolescents, and minors from their sexuality and violence. In the past, the method of artificially restricting the viewing of TV programs at home under the supervision of parents or guardians has been mainstream, and some systems have built-in devices (functions) that limit the viewing of TV programs by program grade. have.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional TV receiver, and includes an antenna 101 for receiving a TV RF signal and a tuner / VSB (for tune and demodulation processing of the TV RF signal received by the antenna 101). 102, a voice signal processor 103 for processing a voice signal output from the tuner / VSB 102, a speaker 104 for outputting a voice signal processed by the voice signal processor 103, A video signal processing unit 105 for processing the video signal output from the tuner / VSB 102, a display unit 106 for displaying the video signal processed by the video signal processing unit 105, and the TV broadcast. A microcomputer 107 for controlling overall device such as signal selection and video, audio signal processing and output, a remote controller 108 for inputting a user's device control command to the microcomputer 107, and Under control, the operating status of the device and the function control And an OSD control unit 109 for OSD processing new and the like, and a memory unit 110 in which data related to device operation control of the microcomputer 107 are stored and read.

The operation of the conventional TV receiver configured as described above will be briefly described.

When the user turns on the TV power using the remote controller 108, the microcomputer 107 controls the tuner / VSB 102 to tune the broadcast signal of the desired channel among the TV broadcast signals received by the antenna 101. And signal processing such as demodulation. The voice signal output from the tuner / VSB 102 is output to the speaker 104 by performing various signal processing such as tone control, power amplification, stereo processing, and voice multi-processing in the voice signal processing unit 103. .

The video signal output from the tuner / VSB 102 is processed by the video display processor (VDP) 105 and output to the display unit 106 to display an image of a tuned broadcast. The display unit 106 may be a variety of media such as CRT, PDP, FED, LCD.

The microcomputer 107 controls the OSD control unit 109 to display a menu screen for operating the device or selecting a device control command by the user, and displays the menu on the display unit 106 so that the user can operate the device. It provides information that can be used to recognize or use various convenient functions related to the operation control of the device.

As described above, regardless of the contents of the TV broadcast program, the conventional TV receiver is provided to the user without broadcasting any channel of the channel tuned using the remote control, even if the user is a minor.

Therefore, even if a TV program is a content that never benefits children, adolescents, or minors, that is, content containing excessive sensation or violence, no practical means for limiting viewing of such a program is provided.

In view of this, conventionally, the TV broadcast signal provides information on the unacceptable signal period (normally, the blanking period (VBI period) of the viewing age (grade) of the program currently being aired. It also provides a function to control the viewing of the TV receiver by setting whether to allow or prohibit the viewing of the program, but in the case of the apparatus for determining and setting whether to allow watching according to the grade of a TV broadcast program, It is possible to transmit the information at the broadcasting station side, and if the information is transmitted at the broadcasting station side, the TV receiver must be provided with means for detecting and decoding the information. It is inconvenient to know whether it is necessary to operate the function.

Meanwhile, a method of setting a rating of a TV program for each age group that can be allowed to watch a TV broadcast program that is currently being broadcast and expressing it on the screen when the corresponding broadcast program is broadcast is implemented. This method can be used to determine the age, for example, whether the TV program currently being watched is a program that can be watched over 7 years old, a program that can be watched over 12 years old, a program that can be watched over 15 years old, or a program that can watch over 19 years old. This is a method of displaying on the screen by 'gradation display' of the promised pattern.

However, this method only provides information on what age the currently broadcast TV program can allow viewing. In other words, the 'grade label' is recognized by the guardian or supervisor, and in consideration of the 'grade', supervisors, children, adolescents, and minors of the age group should directly supervise not to watch the program. It does not completely solve the problems that were difficult to control viewing.

An object of the present invention is to provide a TV viewing limiting device and a method for controlling the limitation thereof, which allow a TV receiver to allow or prohibit viewing a broadcast program according to a grade.

It is still another object of the present invention to perform an edge detection and a pattern detection method on an 'grade mark' expressed in a received video signal in order to allow / prohibit viewing / decoding of a broadcast program according to a grade in a TV receiver. The present invention provides a TV viewing limiting device and a method for controlling the limitation of the present invention, which are configured to recognize using and to control whether to allow or prohibit viewing of a corresponding program based on the recognition result.

It is still another object of the present invention to allow / prohibit viewing a broadcast program according to a rating on a TV receiver, when a user freely selects and sets a program rating to be allowed to watch on a TV receiver. Based on the result of recognizing the 'grade display' and the result of comparing the set grade, it is determined whether to allow or prohibit the viewing of the program and automatically cut off the video and / or audio signal output from the TV set. The present invention provides a TV viewing restriction device and a restriction control method.

Another object of the present invention is to detect and recognize the 'grade display' expressed in the image signal received from the TV receiver based on the image recognition technology, and based on this recognition result automatically limits the viewing of the program by age By doing so, it is possible to protect infants, children, adolescents, and minors from images including excessive violence and sensationality.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a typical TV receiver.

2 is a diagram showing an example of a parental control video screen for explaining the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of the TV parental control apparatus of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart for explaining a TV viewing restriction method of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

101: antenna 102: tuner / VSB

103: voice signal processing unit 104: speaker

105: video signal processor 106: display unit

107: microcomputer 108: remote control

109: OSD control section 110: Memory section

304: grading display image capture memory 305: grading recognition unit

306: micom 307: rating memory

308: remote control

TV viewing restriction apparatus of the present invention for achieving the above object is, a restriction level setting means for setting a parental level by the user, and for detecting the grade display image expressed on the selected TV image and recognizing the corresponding grade Control means for allowing or prohibiting viewing of the program by using the result of comparing the restriction level recognition means with the parental level of the program recognized by the restriction level recognition means and the setting level set by the restriction level setting means. ; Characterized in that comprises a.

In addition, in the TV viewing restriction apparatus of the present invention, the restriction level setting means may set a rating to restrict viewing of the program by age.

In addition, in the TV viewing restriction apparatus of the present invention, the restriction level recognition means may recognize the grade display image expressed in the tuned TV image by using edge detection and pattern recognition techniques.

In addition, in the TV viewing restriction apparatus of the present invention, the control means, in the case of a program for which viewing is restricted as a result of the grade discrimination, is characterized in that the output of the video and audio of the program.

In addition, the TV viewing restriction control method of the present invention for achieving the above object, the step of setting a rating to limit the viewing on the TV set based on the age, detecting the grade display image represented on the TV image, the detection Analyzing the graded display image using an image recognition technique to recognize a corresponding grade, and allowing or prohibiting viewing of a corresponding program by comparing the recognized grade with a set grade; Characterized in that comprises a.

In addition, the TV viewing restriction control method of the present invention, further comprising the step of setting a password for granting and authenticating the right to set the parental level on the TV receiver, and comparing the input password and the set password; It features.

In addition, in the TV viewing restriction control method of the present invention, the rating display image is recognized only when the rating display image is continuously detected for a predetermined time or more.

In addition, in the TV viewing restriction control method of the present invention, as a result of the comparison between the set grade and the recognized grade, a message expressing that the right to view the program is not displayed on the OSD screen is blocked by the corresponding video and audio signal. It further comprises the step of outputting.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of the TV viewing restricting apparatus and the control method of the present invention made as described above is as follows.

EXAMPLE

2 shows an example of a display video screen on which a rating display image is referred to in the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a 'gradation display (image) 202' indicating an age limit for viewing the program at a predetermined position in the upper right portion of the screen 201 is displayed superimposed on the original video signal. .

For example, in the case of the Republic of Korea, the grade display 202 has a white border on a yellow background and has a pattern in which the age is expressed by numbers in the middle thereof. In FIG. 2, since the age indication of '19' is indicated, this program may be interpreted to mean that viewing of viewers who are under the age of 19 is restricted.

According to the present invention, a grade display image 202 displayed on the screen is detected, and the detected image 202 is recognized by a corresponding age, that is, a grade, using image recognition technology, and the grade set by the user and the recognized display. The comparison of ratings controls the acceptance and restriction of TV viewing.

3 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the parental control apparatus of the present invention, which detects and recognizes a video grade of a current broadcast program (viewing program) displayed on a display unit through a process of tuning a TV broadcast signal and a signal processing process; This recognized display rating is compared with the preset rating set by the user to show a circuit configuration that performs viewing permission or restriction.

Referring to FIG. 3, the apparatus for limiting viewing by grade of a TV broadcast program of the present invention captures a predetermined area 303 including a rating display 302 included in the video from an image 301 of a program selected for viewing ( A grade display unit 305 for capturing and storing the grade display image capture memory 304 and the grade display image 302 stored in the memory 304 by using edge detection and pattern recognition techniques. And a microcomputer 306 that performs parental control or permission control and proper OSD processing by using the result of comparing the recognized rating with a rating set by the user, a password 307a and a setting grade data set by the user ( And a remote control unit 308 for storing the setting information 307b and providing the same to the microcomputer 306, and a remote controller 308 for inputting a user's device operation command to the microcomputer 306. .

The image 301 displayed for viewing in FIG. 3 may be, for example, image data storing one frame (or one field) of digital image data processed by the image signal processing unit (VDP) 105 of FIG. 1. have. In this case, the frame memory (or field memory) may be used by allocating a partial area of the memory unit 110 of FIG. 1, utilizing the frame (or field) memory included in the memory unit 110, or separately for class recognition. There may also be frame (or field) memory.

In addition, in FIG. 3, the capture memory 304 may be provided separately for class recognition or may utilize an existing memory. In addition, since the class recognizing unit 305 may use an existing known edge detection algorithm and pattern detection algorithm that detect an edge in a video signal and also detect a unique pattern of the video signal, the present invention may provide a specific method. It does not mention.

Although the microcomputer 306 preferably corresponds to the microcomputer 107 of FIG. 1 for device control, a microprocessor may be separately provided for class recognition. The grade memory 307 may also have a separate memory, or a portion of the memory unit 110 of FIG. 1 may be allocated and used.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a parental control process according to the TV parental control apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, and the TV parental control control operation according to the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. Shall be.

First, the user must set and register that he or she is a parental control authority (usually a parent, guardian or supervisor) by using a user interface means such as the remote controller 308. This is done by selecting the broadcast grade setting function (which can be simply presented on the OSD menu screen) with the remote controller 308, and setting a predetermined password for authenticating that the user is a viewing restriction authority in advance. This password is stored in advance in the grade memory 307 as password (password) data 307a.

In this state, when the user selects the broadcast grade setting function, the microcomputer 306 controls the OSD control unit to input a user password (password), and in response to this, the user sets a predetermined value using the remote controller 308. Enter the password (step S401). In the next step (S402), the microcomputer 308 compares the input password with the pre-registered password 307a. If the two do not match, the microcomputer 308 transmits a corresponding guidance message (for example, "broadcast rating"). Cannot be set ”(step S403).

However, if the password entered by the user and the registered password match, the process proceeds to the next step (S404), and performs the setting of the grade age (A value). The setting of the grade age displays the age for each grade (for example, all available viewing, 7 years, 12 years, 15 years, 19 years, etc.) on the OSD, and the grade (age) selected by the user is displayed in the memory 307. The data 307b may be stored, or the user may directly input an age using the remote controller 308.

After the setting grade is stored as described above, the process proceeds to step S405. Under the control of the microcomputer 306, the capture memory 304 and the grade recognition unit 305 operate to recognize the grade of the broadcast program to be watched. The recognition process is as follows.

First, the capture memory 304 includes capturing a predetermined region (for example, a partial region in the upper right corner) 303 including the grade display image 302 in the image 301 on a frame or field basis or every predetermined frame or field period. Capture and save. Since the display position of the graded display image 302 is determined as a predetermined position, the memory 304 extracts an image of a position sufficiently predicted that the graded display image will be located at the upper right corner of the image. Can be stored in

For the image stored in the capture memory 304, the grade recognizing unit 305 uses edge detection and pattern detection techniques to determine whether the image is a grade display image, and in the case of a grade display image, the age represented therein. Recognize (numeric video).

Whether or not it is a graded display image, allocates another buffer of the same size to check whether the same contents are continuously inputted for a predetermined time, and if the same pattern information (image information) is inputted for several seconds or more, it is recognized as an accurate graded display image. Can be used.

An example of detecting and recognizing a graded image is described. The partial image of the upper right corner of the screen obtained in the capture memory 304 is stored in the memory and motion information of the image stored in the memory is detected. A method of detecting motion information may be obtained by using an image brightness difference and a pattern difference between a previous field (or frame) and a current field (or frame). That is, if there is no motion, temporal compensation is performed using the average value of pixel data in the same position of the previous and subsequent fields, and if there is motion, the data is spaced up or down in or near the same field in consideration of the edge direction of the image. Rewards. Motion information can be obtained by processing the image data with an appropriate weight between the two, and a line for obtaining the brightness difference and the brightness profile pattern difference in detecting the motion information. When the number of lines is limited to the number of lines of the position (the upper right corner of the screen where the grade display image is sufficiently predicted to be displayed), the motion information can be detected in the desired position area.

Since the graded image has a characteristic of being displayed at the same position continuously for a long time, if the captured portion image of this portion is a graded image, the motion information will be very small. This is because the image marked "12" will be repeated continuously for more than a predetermined time every field (or frame). Therefore, if the difference in brightness between the image of the current field (or frame) and the image of the previous field (or frame) is small enough, this part can be judged to have almost no movement, and based on this information, the grade indication can be determined. By obtaining an image data pattern of a portion determined to be an image and comparing the pattern with a previously prepared pattern (age display pattern), it is possible to accurately recognize the age of the currently displayed grade display.

As described above, when the grade recognizing unit 305 recognizes the video grade of the broadcast program currently received and tuned, the recognized information (result) is supplied to the microcomputer 306.

The microcomputer 306 compares the recognized grade B with the grade (setting information) 307b stored in the memory 307 (step S406). As a result of the comparison, if the recognized grade (viewable age) is lower than the set grade (restricted age), the corresponding broadcast is displayed normally (step S407), and the grade (restricted age) is set. If higher than), the process proceeds to step S408, and the corresponding broadcast screen is muted and a guide message (for example, "not a viewable age" message) is output through the OSD control unit. At this time, it is also a preferred embodiment to mute the voice signal together.

As described above, the present invention detects a grade display image included in a TV broadcast video signal, recognizes the grade using the edge detection and pattern detection techniques, and then recognizes the grade. And the rating set by the user for the purpose of restricting viewing, and if the rating indicates that the viewing is to be restricted, the video and / or audio may be muted to block the viewing of the video including excessive sensation or violence. Will be.

According to the present invention, not only a TV broadcast program but also a video content displaying a grade of an image on a screen may be recognized to recognize a corresponding grade from the grade display image and control whether viewing is allowed. Therefore, even if the broadcasting station does not separately transmit information related to the ratings on the VBI or the like, there is a convenience that the guardian or supervisor can easily restrict the viewing of each video content in a general home by simply operating a device.

In addition, in such a more active manner, it is possible to provide a foundation for effectively protecting children, children, adolescents, and minors at home from excessive violence or sensational video.

Claims (8)

Restriction level setting means for setting a parental level by the user, Restriction level recognition means for detecting the level display image expressed on the display image and recognizing the level, and the program recognized by the restriction level recognition means Control means for allowing or prohibiting viewing of a corresponding program using a result of comparing the parental level of the user with the parental level set by the parental level setting means; Viewing apparatus according to the television broadcast program rating, characterized in that comprises a. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the restriction level setting means sets and sets, by age, a level for restricting viewing of the program. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the restriction level recognizing means analyzes and recognizes the grade display image expressed in the display image by using edge detection and pattern recognition techniques. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit blocks the video and audio output of the corresponding program when the program determines that viewing is restricted as a result of the grade determination. Setting a rating to be limited to viewing on a TV set based on age, detecting a rating display image expressed on a display image, and analyzing the detected rating display image by using an image recognition method to recognize the corresponding rating. Allowing or preventing viewing of a corresponding program by comparing the recognized grade with a set grade; Viewing control method according to the television broadcast program rating, characterized in that comprises a. The TV broadcast of claim 5, further comprising: setting a password for granting and authenticating a right to set a parental level on the TV set, and comparing the input password with the set password. Parental control method according to program grade. The method according to claim 5, wherein the rating display image is recognized only when the rating display image is continuously detected for a predetermined time or more. The method of claim 5, further comprising: blocking a video and audio signal for a program that is prohibited from viewing as a result of the comparison between the set level and the recognized level, and outputting a message indicating that the program is not authorized to view the program on an OSD screen. A parental control method according to the class of a television broadcast program characterized in that it comprises.