Video providing system and video providing method

Abstract

To provide an image providing system and method for counting the number of viewers in a space such as a house or a vehicle and automating an authentication system so as to protect minors from the harmfulness of fanciful or violent image objects.SOLUTION: The method includes a first step S10 of receiving advance selling information including an image to be viewed and the number of viewers from an image providing system including a display unit, an image photographing device, a viewer terminal, and a server, and the viewer terminal, a second step S20 of counting the actual number of viewers using a space image of a viewer received through the display unit or the image photographing device disposed in a viewer space, and a S30YES of, when the advance selling information is the same as the counted number of viewers, the method may further include a third step S40 of receiving a payment for an image showing cost according to the number of viewers from the viewer terminal, and a fourth step S80 of providing an image provided from the outside to the display unit or the viewer terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an improved video providing system and video providing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Commercial video content such as movies generally begins screening in cinemas, and after screening ends, it is screened sequentially via IPTV (Internet Protocol Television), OTT (Over The Top), and TV.

[0003] The reason for this is that the revenue structure of film production companies or distribution companies is based on the viewing fees of individual viewers.

[0004] Therefore, viewers have to wait a certain amount of time to watch a video on a personal display device such as a TV, mobile phone, or PC at home or in a vehicle (a non-standard content provision space) rather than at a movie theater.

[0005] Meanwhile, since the COVID-19 outbreak, viewers have gradually come to prefer spending their leisure time in personal spaces such as their homes or vehicles (spaces providing atypical content) rather than in public places such as movie theaters.

[0006] In order to reflect the needs of such viewers and the revenue structure of video production companies or distribution companies, the applicant devised a technical idea to count the number of purchasing viewers in an atypical content provision space (Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2478139, Title of Invention: Personnel management method and device for smart content provision system).

[0007] However, since the number of viewers is counted only at the beginning of the video, the number of viewers may not be counted correctly.

[0008] In addition, there is a need to ensure the public nature and ethics of videos through a video viewing rating system, and to protect young people from harmful media by setting age restrictions for each viewer, so there is a need to effectively protect minors from the harmful effects of sensational or violent videos.

[0009] However, the conventional adult authentication method only authenticates the viewer's adult status using the viewer's mobile phone, so it is impossible to effectively restrict viewing by minors who have a mobile phone contracted by an adult. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent No. 10-2478139 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a video providing system and a video providing method that counts the number of viewers so that a video currently being screened can be viewed immediately in an atypical content providing space such as a home or a vehicle, and that automates an authentication system so that minors can be effectively protected from the harmfulness of sensational or violent video content. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a video providing system including a display unit arranged in a viewer's space; a video shooting device arranged in the display unit or the viewer's space; at least one viewer terminal device that provides video to the display unit; and a server that communicates with the display unit, the video shooting device, and the viewer terminal device and provides externally provided video to the display unit or the viewer terminal device.

[0013] The server may also include a video sending unit that provides externally provided video to the display unit or the viewer terminal; an image processing unit that generates video frames in time series from the spatial video of the viewer received from the video shooting device and separates and extracts the faces of the viewer from the generated video frames; and a counting unit that calculates the number of viewer faces from the faces generated by the image processing unit.

[0014] The server may further include an age estimation unit that estimates the age of each viewer using a face recognition algorithm from the face information of the viewer generated by the image processing unit.

[0015] In addition, the server may further include an authentication display providing unit that provides an authentication display on the display unit when the age estimated by the age estimation unit is younger than the age limit of the video content provided from outside; and a first age authentication unit that receives an authentication signal from at least one of the viewer terminals that has captured the authentication display displayed on the display unit, and verifies personal information including age in cooperation with the telecommunications company of the viewer terminal that received the authentication signal.

[0016] The server may further include an authentication display providing unit that provides an authentication display to the display unit when the age estimated by the age estimation unit is younger than the age limit of the video content provided from the outside; and a second age authentication unit that receives a recorded voice signal of the viewer from at least one of the viewer terminals that captured the authentication display displayed on the display unit and estimates the viewer's age through a voice recognition algorithm.

[0017] In addition, the server may further include a video conversion unit that stops providing the video when at least one viewer falls under the age restriction of the video, or performs mosaic processing on a part of the screen or removes a part of the sound from the video provided to the display unit according to preset viewing restriction information.

[0018] Meanwhile, the present invention can provide a video providing method including a first step of receiving advance ticket information including the video to be viewed and the number of viewers from a viewer terminal device; a second step of counting the actual number of viewers using a spatial image of the viewers received through a display unit or a video shooting device placed in the viewer's space; a third step of receiving payment for the video screening fee according to the number of viewers from the viewer terminal device if the advance ticket information and the counted number of viewers are the same; and a fourth step of providing a video provided from outside to the display unit or the viewer terminal device.

[0019] In addition, if the number of actual viewers increases after the fourth step, a fifth step of receiving additional payment for the video screening fee according to the added number of viewers may be included.

[0020] In addition, the second step may further include a step 2-1 of estimating the age of each of the counted actual viewers using a facial recognition algorithm; a step 2-2 of providing an authentication display on the display unit when a viewer whose age estimated by the age estimation unit is younger than the age limit of the video provided from outside is estimated; and a step 2-3 of receiving an authentication signal from at least one of the viewer terminals that has captured the authentication display displayed on the display unit, and confirming personal information including age in connection with the communication company of the viewer terminal that received the authentication signal.

[0021] In addition, the second step may further include steps 2-4 of receiving a recorded voice signal of the viewer from at least one of the viewer terminals that has captured the authentication display displayed on the display unit and estimating the age of the viewer through a voice recognition algorithm, and the fourth step may be characterized by stopping the provision of the video if at least one viewer falls within the age restrictions of the video material, or performing mosaic processing on part of the screen or removal of part of the sound from the video provided to the display unit according to preset viewing restriction information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] The present invention has an advantage from the viewpoint of a viewer that a video currently being screened commercially can be viewed quickly in a private place, not in a public place, without being bound by time or space restrictions, and an advantage from the viewpoint of a video production company or a distribution company that the number of viewers can be counted in real time and the video provision fee can be reasonably charged according to the number of viewers.

[0023] In addition, the present invention has the advantage of preventing the transmission of provocative or violent videos to minors by performing actual age authentication through facial recognition and / or voice recognition instead of formal age authentication when there is an age restriction on the video content. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic module diagram of a video providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic flowchart of an image providing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 3 is a flowchart embodying the second step of FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, all terms herein have the same ordinary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art, and if a term used herein conflicts with the ordinary meaning of that term, the definition used herein shall control.

[0027] However, the invention described below is only intended to explain an embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and the same reference numerals used throughout the specification refer to the same components.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a schematic module diagram of a video providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 1, an image providing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may mainly include a display unit 110 , an image capturing device 120 , a viewer terminal 130 , a server 140 , and an image providing unit 150 .

[0030] The display unit 110 may be disposed in a viewer's space, which may refer to any space where a viewer can view a video object (for example, inside a building, inside a vehicle, etc.).

[0031] The display unit 110 can receive video signals from the server 140 described later and display them on the screen. It can be installed in a location that is easily visible to the user and can be composed of an embedded computer including a display panel and a small wireless communication function, or it can be the LCD screen of the viewer terminal 130 described later.

[0032] The image capturing device 120 may be disposed on the display unit 110 or in the viewer's space, and can capture the space in which the viewer views the image.

[0033] The viewer terminal 130 may include the display unit 110 or may provide an image to the separately arranged display unit 110. There may be a plurality of viewers, so there may be at least one or more viewers.

[0034] Here, the terminal is capable of connecting to a remote server 140 or other terminals via a network, and may be, but is not limited to, a cellular phone, a PCS phone (Personal Communication Service phone), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a WAP phone (Wireless Application Protocol phone), a smartphone, or a tablet.

[0035] The server 140 communicates with the display unit 110, the video shooting device 120, and the viewer terminal , and can provide externally provided video objects to the display unit 110 or the viewer terminal .

[0036] Specifically, the server 140 may include an image sending unit 141, an image processing unit 142, a counting unit 143, an age estimation unit 144, an authentication display providing unit 145, a first age authentication unit 146, a second age authentication unit 147 and / or an image conversion unit 148.

[0037] The video sending unit 141 can provide the display unit 110 or the viewer terminal 130 with a video provided from an external source such as a video providing unit 150 (to be described later).

[0038] The image processor 142 can generate image frames in time series from the spatial image of the viewer received from the image capture device 120, and separate and extract the face of the viewer from the generated image frames.

[0039] The counting unit 143 can calculate the number of viewers from the faces of the viewers generated by the image processing unit 142 .

[0040] That is, the image processing unit 142 can generate video frames in time series at preset intervals, and the counting unit 143 can grasp the change in the number of viewers while the video is being screened, so that the viewing fee can be accurately charged according to the number of viewers.

[0041] The age estimation unit 144 can estimate the age of each viewer from the facial information generated by the image processing unit 142 using a facial recognition algorithm.

[0042] Such a face recognition algorithm can be implemented as a deep learning-based learning algorithm.

[0043] The authentication display providing unit 145 can provide an authentication display to the display unit 110 when the age estimation unit 144 estimates a viewer whose age is younger than the age limit of the externally provided video content.

[0044] Here, the authentication indication may be embodied as a symbol, a letter, and / or a figure, or may be embodied as an arbitrary generated indication such as a QR code.

[0045] The authentication display may also include text content instructing which viewer's viewer terminal 130 should be authenticated.

[0046] For example, the authentication display may include the content "Please verify your age through the terminal of the person who paid for this video," or it may include text instructions such as "The age of the viewer wearing the blue hat is uncertain, so please verify your age through the terminal."

[0047] The first age authentication unit 146 receives an authentication signal from at least one of the viewer terminals 130 that has photographed the authentication display displayed on the display unit 110, and can confirm personal information including age in cooperation with the telecommunications company of the viewer terminal 130 that received the authentication signal.

[0048] However, since the viewer terminal 130 possessed by a minor may not be in the minor's name, age verification using such a telecommunications company-linked method alone may not be sufficient to protect minors from sensational or violent images. The second age authentication unit 147 can receive a recorded voice signal of the viewer from at least one of the viewer terminals 130 that has captured the authentication display displayed on the display unit 110, and estimate the age through a voice recognition algorithm.

[0049] Such a voice recognition algorithm can be implemented as a deep learning-based learning algorithm.

[0050] If at least one viewer falls under the age restriction of the video, the video conversion unit 148 can stop providing the video, or can perform mosaic processing on part of the screen or remove part of the sound from the video provided to the display unit 110 according to the preset viewing restriction information.

[0051] By such multifaceted checking and image conversion, the present invention can protect minors from sensational or violent images.

[0052] The video providing unit 150 provides video content to the server 140 from the outside, and may be, for example, a terminal of a video production company or a distribution company.

[0053] The image providing system 100 of the present invention can be implemented as follows.

[0054] FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a video providing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart embodying the second step of FIG.

[0055] First, the server 140 can receive advance ticket information including the video content to be viewed and the number of viewers from the viewer terminal 130 (S10).

[0056] Thereafter, the server 140 can count the actual number of viewers using the spatial image of the viewers received through the display unit 110 or the image capturing device 120 placed in the viewer's space (S20).

[0057] Specifically, the number of viewers can be calculated by processing the image of the viewers' faces in the image processing unit 142 of the server 140 using image information captured by the video camera 120 placed in the viewer's space.

[0058] In addition, the server 140 can estimate the age of each viewer by using a facial recognition algorithm from the image-processed viewer's face, that is, the actual viewer counted by facial information (S21).

[0059] If the age estimation unit 144 estimates a viewer whose age is younger than the age limit of the externally provided video content, the server 140 can provide an authentication display to the display unit 110 (S22).

[0060] In such a case, the server 140 receives an authentication signal from at least one of the viewer terminals 130 that has photographed the authentication display displayed on the display unit 110, and can confirm personal information including age in cooperation with the telecommunications company of the viewer terminal 130 that received the authentication signal (S23).

[0061] For example, the server 140 may perform age verification in cooperation with a telecommunications company for the viewer terminal 130 of a viewer who has applied for or paid for a screening, and / or may perform age verification through the viewer terminal 130 of a viewer who is suspected to fall under the age restriction.

[0062] However, since the viewer terminal 130 may not be in the viewer's name, if the server 140 determines that the viewer estimated from the facial information falls within the age limit, it can receive the viewer's voice signal recorded from at least one of the viewer terminals 130 that captured the authentication display displayed on the display unit 110 and estimate the viewer's age through a voice recognition algorithm (S24).

[0063] After this, if the server 140 determines that each viewer does not fall under the age restriction or has a guardian who has been certified as an adult, and the advance ticket information and the counted number of viewers are the same (S30), the server 140 can receive payment for the video screening fee according to the number of viewers from the viewer terminal device 130 (S40).

[0064] Thereafter, the server 140 can provide the externally provided image to the display unit 110 (S50).

[0065] After that, the server 140 can process images and count the number of viewers using the images received from the video shooting device 120 at preset time intervals in real time, and if the actual number of viewers is increased (S60), it can also receive additional payment for the video screening fee according to the added number of viewers (S40).

[0066] In addition, if at least one viewer falls within the age restrictions of the video (S70), the video may be stopped from being provided, or a mosaic process may be performed on a portion of the screen or a portion of the sound may be removed from the video provided to the display unit 110 according to the preset viewing restriction information (S80).

[0067] In short, the present invention has the advantage that viewers can quickly view currently commercially screened videos in private places, not in public places, without being bound by time or space constraints, and that video production companies or distributors can count the number of viewers in real time and receive reasonable video provision fees according to the number of viewers.

[0068] In addition, the present invention has the advantage of preventing the transmission of provocative or violent videos to minors by performing actual age authentication through facial recognition and / or voice recognition instead of formal age authentication when there is an age restriction on the video content.

[0069] Based on the above description, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the contents described in the examples, but should be defined by the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 100:Video provision system 110: Display unit 120: Video equipment 130: Viewer terminal 140:Server 141: Video transmission unit 142: Image processing unit 143:Counting Department 144: Age Estimation Department 145: Certification Display Providing Department 146: First Age Verification Department 147: Second Age Verification Department 148:Video conversion unit 150:Video Provision Department

Claims

1. a display unit that is placed in the viewer's space; a video capture device disposed in the display unit or in the viewer's space; At least one viewer terminal that provides an image to the display unit; and a server that communicates with the display unit, the video shooting device, and the viewer terminal device and provides externally provided video content to the display unit or the viewer terminal device; The server a video sending unit for providing externally provided video content to the display unit or the viewer terminal; an image processing unit that generates image frames in time series from the spatial image of the viewer received from the image capturing device and separates and extracts the face of the viewer from the generated image frames; a counting unit that calculates the number of viewers from the faces of viewers generated by the image processing unit; an age estimation unit that estimates the age of each viewer using a face recognition algorithm from the face information of the viewer generated by the image processing unit; an authentication display providing unit that provides, on the display unit, an authentication display and text content instructing the viewer terminal of the specific viewer to be authenticated when the age estimated by the age estimation unit is younger than the age limit of the externally provided video content; a first age authentication unit that receives an authentication signal from at least one of the viewer terminals that has captured an authentication display displayed on the display unit, and verifies personal information including age in cooperation with a communication company of the viewer terminal that has received the authentication signal; and A video provision system including: a second age authentication unit that receives a recorded voice signal of a viewer from at least one of the viewer terminals that has captured the authentication display displayed on the display unit and estimates the viewer's age through a voice recognition algorithm.

2. 2. The video providing system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises a video conversion unit that stops providing the video when at least one viewer falls under an age restriction for the video, or performs mosaic processing on a portion of the screen or removes a portion of the sound from the video provided to the display unit according to preset viewing restriction information.

3. A first step of receiving advance ticket information including a video to be viewed and the number of viewers from a viewer terminal; A second step of counting the actual number of viewers based on the spatial image of the viewers received through a display unit or a video capture device disposed in the viewer's space; a third step of receiving payment for the video screening fee according to the number of viewers from the viewer terminal device if the advance ticket information and the counted number of viewers are the same; and a fourth step of providing an externally provided image to the display unit or the viewer terminal; The second stage comprises: Phase 2-1: Estimating the age of each individual among the counted actual viewers using a facial recognition algorithm; Step 2-2: if the estimated age of the viewer is younger than the age limit of the externally provided video content, the display unit displays an authentication message and displays text instructing the viewer terminal of the specific viewer to authenticate; a second or third step of receiving an authentication signal from at least one of the viewer terminals that has captured an image of the authentication display displayed on the display unit, and verifying personal information including age in connection with a communication company of the viewer terminal that has received the authentication signal; and A video providing method including steps 2-4 of receiving a recorded voice signal of a viewer from at least one of the viewer terminals that has captured an authentication display displayed on the display unit, and estimating the age of the viewer through a voice recognition algorithm.

4. 4. The video providing method of claim 3, further comprising a fifth step of receiving additional payment for the video screening fee according to the number of actual viewers added after the fourth step.

5. 4. The video providing method of claim 3, further comprising the step of: after the fourth step, if at least one viewer falls under an age restriction for the video, stopping the provision of the video, or performing mosaic processing on a part of the screen or removing a part of the sound from the video provided to the display unit according to preset viewing restriction information.

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