Content control system, distribution device, content control method, and program

Abstract

To provide a content control system and the like capable of providing a content corresponding to a viewer's need.SOLUTION: The content control system according to one embodiment of a disclosure comprises: identifying means which identifies an attribute of a viewer on the basis of a captured image including the viewer; determination means which determines a component being data constituting a content, in accordance with the identified attribute; and control means which controls the content so that the determined component is constituted in the content.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for controlling content.

Background Art

[0002] Various contents are provided using a television, the Internet, or the like. As a technology for providing such contents, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for displaying recommended contents or changing the size of characters or the volume of the contents according to viewers selected from a plurality of viewers.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technology of Patent Document 1 only changes the environment when providing content, such as changing the size of characters or the volume, and the elements themselves that make up the content, such as the text and objects output in the content, are not changed. That is, there are restrictions on the control according to the needs of the viewer. In this regard, there is room for improvement in the technology of Patent Document 1.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and one of the objectives is to provide a content control system or the like that can provide content according to the needs of the viewer.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A content control system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a specifying means for specifying an attribute of the viewer based on a captured image including the viewer; a determining means for determining a component which is data constituting content according to the specified attribute; and a control means for controlling the content so that the determined component is configured in the content.

[0007] A distribution device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a determining means for determining a component which is data constituting content according to an attribute of the viewer specified from a captured image including the viewer; and a control means for controlling the content so that the determined component is configured in the content.

[0008] A content control method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: specifying an attribute of a viewer based on a captured image including the viewer; determining a component which is data constituting content according to the specified attribute; and controlling the content so that the determined component is configured in the content.

[0009] A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute: a process of specifying an attribute of a viewer based on a captured image including the viewer; a process of determining a component which is data constituting content according to the specified attribute; and a process of controlling the content so that the determined component is configured in the content.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, content according to the needs of a viewer can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] <First Embodiment> The outline of the content control system according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a content control system 1000 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the content control system 1000 includes a specifying unit 1100, a determining unit 1200, and a control unit 1300. Each of the specifying unit 1100, the determining unit 1200, and the control unit 1300 may be an independent device connected to each other via a network.

[0015] The content control system 1000 may be realized, for example, by controlling a distribution device, a receiving device, and a photographing device. At this time, the distribution device, the receiving device, and the photographing device may be included in the content control system 1000. Further, one or more of the distribution device, the receiving device, and the photographing device may be included in the content control system 1000, and a device different from the one or more devices may be disposed outside the content control system 1000 so as to be communicable therewith. The distribution device distributes content, for example. The receiving device receives content from the distribution device and outputs the received content. At this time, the receiving device outputs the received content using output devices such as a display and a speaker included in the receiving device, for example. The photographing device photographs the vicinity of the receiving device and generates a photographed image, for example.

[0016] The specific part 1100 identifies the attributes of the viewer. For example, the specific part 1100 detects a person included in the captured image from the captured image captured by the imaging device. At this time, the imaging device captures, for example, a position where the person can view the content. In the present disclosure, a person at a position where the content can be viewed is also referred to as a viewer. Then, the specific part 1100 identifies, for example, the attributes of the detected person. The attributes are, for example, the relationship of the person, gender, age, the genre of the content that the person is interested in, and whether the person has a disability or not. Note that the attributes are not limited to this example. For example, it may include the mother tongue, occupation, hobby, and favorite entertainer of the person. The specific part 1100 identifies the attributes of the detected person based on, for example, information in which the person and the attributes are associated. Information in which the person and the attributes are associated is, for example, previously possessed by the content control system 1000. Then, the information indicating the identified attributes is transmitted to the distribution device. In this way, the specific part 1100 identifies the attributes of the viewer based on the captured image including the viewer. The specific part 1100 is an example of a specific means.

[0017] The determination part 1200 determines the components of the content. The components of the content are the data that constitutes the content. The components include, for example, an object indicating a character or the like appearing in the content, and a sentence or the like output as text or voice in the content. The determination part 1200 may determine different components according to the attributes specified by the specific part 1100, for example. For example, the determination part 1200 may determine the components of the content by generating components according to the attributes. Also, when a plurality of types of components have been generated in advance, the determination part 1200 may determine the components of the content by selecting the components according to the attributes. In this way, the determination part 1200 determines the components, which are the data constituting the content, according to the identified attributes. The determination part 1200 is an example of a determination means.

[0018] The control unit 1300 controls the content. For example, the control unit 1300 may generate content composed of the components determined by the determination unit 1200. Also, for example, the control unit 1300 may control to change the components of the already generated content to the determined components. In this way, the control unit 1300 controls the content so that the determined components are configured in the content. The control unit 1300 is an example of a control means.

[0019] Next, an example of the operation of the content control system will be described with reference to FIG. 2. In the present disclosure, each step of the flowchart or sequence diagram is expressed using the number assigned to each step, such as "S1".

[0020] FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the content control system 1000. The specifying unit 1100 specifies the attributes of the viewer based on the captured image including the viewer (S1). Next, the determination unit 1200 determines components that are data constituting the content according to the attributes (S2). Then, the control unit 1300 controls so that the determined components are configured in the content (S3).

[0021] In this way, the content control system 1000 of the present disclosure specifies the attributes of the viewer based on the captured image including the viewer, and determines components that are data constituting the content according to the specified attributes. Then, the content control system 1000 controls the content so that the determined components are configured in the content. Thereby, the content control system 1000 of the present disclosure can provide, for example, content newly configured with components according to the attributes of the viewer. That is, the content control system 1000 can provide content according to the needs of the viewer.

[0022] [Another Example of Content Control System 1000] Next, another example of the content control system 1000 of the present disclosure will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of another example of the content control system 1000 according to the first embodiment. Specifically, the example of the configuration shown in FIG. 3 is an example in which the content control system 1000 of FIG. 1 is applied to a communication system having a distribution device, a reception device, and a photographing device. As shown in FIG. 3, the content control system 1000 includes a distribution device 100, a reception device 200, and a photographing device 300. The distribution device 100 and the reception device 200 are communicably connected to each other via a network. Also, the reception device 200 and the photographing device 300 are communicably connected. Note that the reception device 200 and the photographing device 300 may be an integrated device.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of another example of the content control system according to the first embodiment. Note that the other example shown in FIG. 4 includes the functional configuration of the content control system 1000 shown in FIG. 1.

[0024] The photographing device 300 is a device that photographs a predetermined range. The range photographed by the photographing device 300 is referred to as a photographing range. The photographing range is a range in which a person can view the displayed content. Here, it is assumed that the reception device 200 includes output devices such as a display and a speaker. In this case, the photographing range is in front of the surface of the reception device 200 on which the content is displayed. For example, the photographing range may be in front of the reception device 200 and within a range of 5 meters from the center point of the place where the reception device 200 is installed, or may be a range of 5 meters square in front of the reception device 200.

[0025] Note that, in the present disclosure, an example in which the reception device 200 includes an output device will be described, but the output device may be an external device communicable with the reception device 200. In this case, the photographing range may be in front of the surface of the output device on which the content is displayed.

[0026] Further, the imaging device 300 may be installed at a predetermined distance from the receiving device 200, for example, or may be installed in contact with the receiving device 200. The imaging device 300 may be an integrated device with the receiving device 200 or may be an integrated device with the output device. The imaging device 300 only needs to be able to capture the content displayed on the output device within the range visible to a person. A person existing within the range where the content can be viewed, that is, within the imaging range, is referred to as a viewer.

[0027] The imaging device 300 transmits a captured image, which is the captured picture, to the receiving device 200. For example, the imaging device 300 encodes the captured image into data in a data format that can be transmitted to the receiving device 200, and transmits the encoded data to the receiving device 200. Then, for example, the encoded data is decoded in the receiving device 200, and the receiving device 200 acquires the captured image. Note that the data encoded in a data format that can be transmitted to the receiving device 200 is referred to as captured data.

[0028] [Details of the Receiving Device 200] The receiving device 200 includes a captured image acquisition unit 210, a registration unit 220, a specifying unit 230, a content reception unit 240, and an output unit 250. The receiving device 200 also includes a storage device 290. Note that the storage device 290 may not be an integrated device with the receiving device 200 and may be an external device that can communicate with the receiving device 200.

[0029] The registration information is stored in the memory device 290. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the registration information of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the registration information includes information about the viewer. In the example of FIG. 5, the viewer ID (Identification), which is information for identifying the viewer, the name of the viewer, the feature amount of the viewer, and the attribute of the viewer are associated with each other. Further, in the example of FIG. 5, as the attribute of the viewer, the relationship of the viewer, gender, age, the genre of the content that the viewer is interested in, and information indicating whether the viewer has a disability are associated with each other. The feature amount is, for example, the feature amount of the face used for face authentication, but is not limited to this example. The feature amount may be information that can identify an individual from an image. Note that the registration information is stored in advance in the memory device 290 by the registration unit 220 described later.

[0030] The photographed image acquisition unit 210 acquires a photographed image. Specifically, the photographed image acquisition unit 210 acquires the photographed image photographed by the photographing device 300. At this time, the photographed image acquisition unit 210 may acquire the photographed image by, for example, acquiring photographing data from the photographing device 300 and decoding the photographing data.

[0031] The registration unit 220 registers various information. Specifically, the registration unit 220 receives the name and attribute information of the viewer input by the viewer. When the receiving device 200 includes an input means, the registration unit 220 receives the information input by the viewer via the input means. Note that when the viewer inputs information via a terminal device that is a device capable of communicating with the receiving device 200 and includes input / output means, the registration unit 220 receives the input information from the terminal device. Further, the registration unit 220 extracts the feature amount of the viewer from the photographed image of the viewer. The information such as the attribute and the feature amount thus acquired is associated with the viewer ID and stored in the memory device 190 as registration information.

[0032] The specific part 230 corresponds to the specific part 1100. The specific part 230 identifies the attributes of the viewer included in the captured image. Specifically, first, the specific part 230 detects a person from the captured image. Then, the specific part 230 extracts the feature amount of the detected person. The specific part 230 collates the extracted feature amount with the feature amount included in the registration information. The specific part 230 identifies that the person with the viewer ID associated with the collated feature amount is the viewer included in the captured image. Note that known image processing techniques such as face recognition technology may be used as a method for identifying the viewer. Then, the specific part 230 identifies the attributes associated with the viewer ID of the identified viewer from the registration information. For example, assuming that the registration information shown in FIG. 5 is stored in the storage device 290 and the captured image includes a viewer with the viewer ID "002". In this case, the specific part 230 identifies that the relationship is "child", the gender is "male", the age is "12", the genre of the content of interest is "animation", and there is a disability in "hearing" as attributes.

[0033] Then, the specific part 230 transmits the identified attributes to the distribution device 100. Note that when the collation does not match or the attributes are not identified, etc., the specific part 230 may not transmit information to the distribution device 100, or may notify the distribution device 100 that the attributes have not been identified.

[0034] The content receiving part 240 receives the content. Specifically, it receives the content distributed from the distribution device 100. The output part 250 outputs the content. Specifically, it outputs the content received by the content receiving part 240 to the output device.

[0035] [Details of the distribution device 100] The distribution device 100 includes a determination part 110, a control part 120, and a distribution part 130. The distribution device 100 also includes a storage device 190. Note that the storage device 190 may not be an integrated device with the distribution device 100, but may be an external device communicable with the distribution device 100.

[0036] The storage device 190 stores in advance information related to the content. Specifically, the storage device 190 stores content composed of predetermined components. Here, the components include audio data indicating the audio output in the content, character data indicating the characters displayed, and object data indicating the objects displayed. The audio data includes information indicating the waveform of the audio and audio parameters. The information indicating the waveform indicates, for example, the volume of the emitted audio, the audio speed, etc. The audio parameters are feature amounts extracted from the waveform of the audio. For example, the audio parameters include information such as the fundamental frequency of the audio, the spectral envelope, and the aperiodicity index extracted by statistical methods such as cepstrum analysis. When the audio parameters are changed, for example, the pitch, voice quality, and rhythm of the emitted audio are changed. The audio data may be generated by performing speech synthesis on a predetermined text. For example, if the content is a news program, the audio data may be data obtained by converting the text included in the news manuscript by speech synthesis. Not limited to this example, the audio data may be data obtained by converting the text of the program script by speech synthesis. Data indicating the text used for speech synthesis, such as the news manuscript and the program script, may be stored in the storage device 190.

[0037] The character data includes information indicating the content of the displayed characters, the size of the characters, the color of the characters, and the image quality. The object data includes information indicating the displayed characters, graphics, and image quality. In addition to this, the components may include music data indicating music different from the audio.

[0038] The content stored in the storage device 190 is referred to as the initial state content, and the components constituting the initial state content are referred to as the initial state components. Also, the audio data, character data, and object data of the initial state components are respectively referred to as the initial state audio data, the initial state character data, and the initial state object data.

[0039] The determination unit 110 corresponds to the determination unit 1200. The determination unit 110 determines the components of the content. Specifically, the determination unit 110 acquires information on the attributes specified in the receiving device 200 from the receiving device 200. Then, the determination unit 110 generates components according to the acquired attributes. The determination unit 110 determines the generated components as components that constitute the content to be distributed to the receiving device 200.

[0040] Here, the process of generating components according to attributes will be described. The determination unit 110 generates voice data according to, for example, the attributes of the viewer. For example, assume that the age of the viewer is 80 years old. In this case, the determination unit 110 may generate voice data with a volume larger than the volume of the initial voice data. The determination unit 110 may generate voice data with the volume gradually changed when the age is above a predetermined value. For example, when the age is 65 years old or above, voice data may be generated such that the volume increases every 5 years. Also, the determination unit 110 may generate voice data with a voice speed slower than the voice speed of the voice data.

[0041] Here, for content such as a TV program, the length of the output time of the content is predetermined. Therefore, simply slowing down the voice speed will cause the output time to exceed the predetermined time. Therefore, the determination unit 110 changes the content of the voice according to the reduction of the voice speed.

[0042] Specifically, for example, assume that the initial voice data is data obtained by converting the sentence "At around 12 o'clock last night in Japan time, in the United States, Mr. A, who newly took office as the president, held an inauguration ceremony" by voice synthesis. In this case, the determination unit 110 changes the sentence to, for example, "At around 12 o'clock last night, in the United States, the president held an inauguration ceremony". In this way, by reducing the number of words in the sentence, that is, by summarizing the sentence, it is possible to suppress the output time of the content from exceeding the predetermined time even when the voice speed is slowed down.

[0043] As a method for summarizing an article, for example, a method using machine learning based on a pre-generated learning model may be used. In this case, the learning model is, for example, a model that has learned changeable word orders, paraphrasable words, deletable words, etc. using teacher data with a predetermined article as input and a summary sentence of the predetermined article as output. Also, the method for summarizing an article may be a method of calculating the importance of each node using a graph structure with each word or sentence included in the article as a node, and generating an article from the nodes extracted based on the importance. The method for summarizing an article is not limited to this example, and may be a known natural language processing technique.

[0044] Also, the determination unit 110 may generate audio data according to the disabilities of the viewer. Specifically, for example, assume that the viewer has a visual disability. In this case, the determination unit 110 may generate audio data with an audio speed slower than the audio speed of the audio data.

[0045] Also, assume that the viewer's age is 10 years old, that is, the viewer is a child. In this case, the determination unit 110 may generate audio data so that the content of the audio includes plain language. Specifically, for example, assume that the initial audio data is data obtained by converting the sentence "Around 12 o'clock last night in Japan time, in the United States, Mr. A, who newly took office as president, held an inauguration ceremony." In this case, the determination unit 110 may change the sentence to, for example, "Around 12 o'clock last night, Mr. A made an announcement that he would newly become president." In this way, the determination unit 110 may generate audio data including plain language according to the viewer's age, for example. As a method for making the article plain, a method using machine learning based on a pre-generated learning model may be used. In this case, the learning model is, for example, a model that has learned changeable word orders and paraphrasable plain words, etc. using teacher data with a predetermined article as input and a summary sentence of the predetermined article as output. The method for making the article plain is not limited to this example, and may be a known natural language processing technique.

[0046] Further, the determination unit 110 may generate audio data according to the native language of the viewer. Specifically, for example, assume that the initial audio data is data obtained by converting a Japanese sentence through speech synthesis. And when the native language of the viewer is English, the determination unit 110 translates the Japanese sentence into English. Then, the determination unit 110 generates audio data by performing speech synthesis on the translated sentence. As the translation method, known translation technologies such as Statistical Base Machine Translation (SMT) and Neural Machine Translation (NMT) may be used.

[0047] Note that the technology for converting text into speech may be, for example, waveform concatenation type speech synthesis, which is a method of performing speech synthesis by concatenating a part of pre-recorded speech, or statistical parametric speech synthesis, which is a method of performing speech synthesis by using a learning model that has learned the relationship between text and speech. As the technology for converting text into speech, known speech synthesis technologies may be used.

[0048] The determination unit 110 generates character data according to the attributes of the viewer, for example. For example, assume that the age of the viewer is 80 years old. In this case, the determination unit 110 may generate character data such that the characters are larger than the size of the characters in the initial character data. The determination unit 110 may generate character data with the character size gradually changed when the age is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. For example, when the age is 65 years old or more, the character data may be generated such that the character size is increased every 5 years. Also, for example, assume that the age of the viewer is 10 years old, that is, the viewer is a child. In this case, the determination unit 110 may generate character data that includes easy-to-understand sentences in the content of the characters of the character data, similar to the audio data. Also, the determination unit 110 may generate character data according to the native language of the viewer, similar to the audio data.

[0049] Further, when the viewer has a hearing impairment, the determination unit 110 may newly generate character data indicating the content of the voice in the voice data. As a result, the content control system 1000 can add subtitles to the content according to the impairment of the viewer.

[0050] In this way, the determination unit 110 determines the content of the text output as voice or text in the content among the components according to the specified attribute.

[0051] Furthermore, the determination unit 110 generates object data according to the attributes of the viewer, for example. For example, when the content is a news program, an object indicating an announcer is included in the object data. Suppose the object data in the initial state includes an object of a male announcer. For example, when the age of the viewer is 10 years old, that is, when the viewer is a child, the determination unit 110 may use a character such as an animal or a robot as the announcer. Also, when the genre of the content that the viewer is interested in is anime, the determination unit 110 may use an anime character as the announcer. Also, when a favorite announcer is set as an attribute of the viewer, the determination unit 110 may use an object representing an image of the favorite announcer as the announcer. Note that the determination unit 110 may use, for example, a CG (Computer Graphics) image generated using human modeling technology as the object. Also, when the object data includes motion data collected by motion capture, the determination unit 110 may use a 3DCG (Three Dimensional Computer Graphics) model to which the motion data can be applied as the object.

[0052] In this way, the determination unit 110 determines the object to be displayed in the content among the components according to the specified attribute.

[0053] Note that the determination unit 110 may collectively perform the process of determining components, including the process of generating components according to the above-described attributes, using machine learning. Specifically, the determination unit 110 may generate and determine components according to attributes using a learning model that takes the attributes of the viewer and the components in the initial state as inputs and outputs components according to the attributes. In this case, the learning model is a model that has previously learned the relationship between the components and attributes of existing content and the components according to the attributes of the existing content.

[0054] The control unit 120 controls the content so that the components determined by the determination unit 110 are configured. Specifically, the control unit 120 changes the components in the initial state to the components determined by the determination unit 110. For example, the control unit 120 changes the audio data, character data, and object data in the initial state to the audio data, character data, and object data determined by the determination unit 110. In this way, the content controlled so that the components determined by the determination unit 110 are configured is referred to as post-control content.

[0055] Using FIGS. 6A and 6B, a specific example of controlled content will be described. In this example, an example where the content is a news program will be described. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of the content in the initial state. In FIG. 6A, at position A, a male announcer is output as an object, at position B, an image showing the content of the news is output as an object, and at position C, the sentence "Mr. Tanaka has assumed the position of Prime Minister" is output. Here, it is assumed that the age of the viewer is 10 years old and the attribute of having a hearing impairment is specified by the specifying unit 230. And it is assumed that the determining unit 110 has determined, as constituent elements, object data with the announcer as a character, object data with the image showing the content of the news enlarged, and character data with the content of the sentence made into an easy-to-understand sentence and the character size enlarged. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an example of the content after control. In FIG. 6B, at position A, a robot character is output as an object. Also, at position B, an image showing the content of the news is output larger compared to the initial state. Also, at position C, the sentence "Mr. Tanaka has become the Prime Minister" is output larger than the sentence in the initial state. Note that although an example where the content is a news program has been described, the content is not limited to this example.

[0056] The distribution unit 130 distributes the content. Specifically, the content controlled by the control unit 120 is distributed to the receiving device 200. Note that when the distribution device 100 does not receive the specified attribute from the receiving device 200 or receives a notification indicating that the attribute has not been specified, the distribution unit 130 distributes the content in the initial state to the receiving device 200.

[0057] [Operation of the Content Control System 1000] Next, an example of the operation of the content control system 1000 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0058] First, a scenario for registering information about viewers will be described. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining a first example of the operation of the content control system 1000. The imaging device 300 captures a viewer (S101). Then, the imaging device 300 transmits the captured image to the receiving device 200. The captured image acquisition unit 210 of the receiving device 200 acquires the captured image (S102). The registration unit 220 extracts the feature amounts of the viewer from the captured image (S103). Also, the registration unit 220 receives the information input from the viewer (S104). For example, the registration unit 220 receives the information of the attributes input from the viewer. Then, the registration unit 220 stores the registration information (S105). Specifically, the registration unit 220 stores, in the storage device 290 as registration information, the information in which the extracted feature amounts, the input information, and the viewer ID are associated with each other.

[0059] Next, a scenario for outputting content will be described. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram for explaining a second example of the operation of the content control system 1000. The imaging device 300 captures a viewer (S201). Then, the imaging device 300 transmits the captured image to the receiving device 200. The captured image acquisition unit 210 of the receiving device 200 acquires the captured image (S202). The specifying unit 230 specifies the attributes of the viewer (S203). For example, the specifying unit 230 collates the feature amounts of the viewer extracted from the captured image with the feature amounts of the registration information. Then, the specifying unit 230 specifies the attributes of the viewer by acquiring the attributes of the viewer whose collation matches from the registration information. Then, the specifying unit 203 transmits the specified attributes to the distribution device 100.

[0060] The determination unit 110 of the distribution device 100 determines the components of the content according to the specified attributes (S204). Then, the control unit 120 controls the content so as to configure the determined components (S205). The distribution unit 130 distributes the content (S206). For example, the content configured by the components determined according to the specified attributes is distributed to the receiving device 200.

[0061] The content receiving unit 240 of the receiving device 200 receives the content distributed from the distribution device 100 (S207). Then, the output unit 250 outputs the content to the output device included in the receiving device 200 (S208).

[0062] In addition, in S203, when the attributes of the viewer cannot be specified, the receiving device 200 may send a notification indicating that the verification did not match to the distribution device 100. In this case, the distribution device 100 distributes the initial content to the receiving device 200.

[0063] As described above, the content control system 1000 of the first embodiment identifies the attributes of the viewer based on the captured image including the viewer, and determines the components that are the data constituting the content according to the identified attributes. Then, the content control system 1000 controls the content so that the determined components are configured in the content. Thereby, the content control system 1000 can provide, for example, content with newly configured components according to the attributes of the viewer. That is, the content control system 1000 of the first embodiment can provide content according to the needs of the viewer.

[0064] In addition, the content control system 1000 of the first embodiment determines the content of the text output in the content among the components according to the identified attributes. Thereby, the content control system 1000 can provide, for example, content including text with different words according to the attributes of the viewer. Further, the content control system 1000 of the first embodiment determines the objects displayed in the content among the components according to the identified attributes. Thereby, the content control system 1000 can provide, for example, content including different objects according to the attributes of the viewer.

[0065] In addition, the content control system 1000 of the first embodiment determines, based on information regarding the viewer's disability, among the components, the subtitles displayed in the content and the volume of the content. Thereby, the content control system 1000 can provide content according to the disability of the viewer.

[0066] [Modification Example 1] The image quality, sound quality, and volume of the content to be output may be determined in the receiving device 200 including the output device. In this case, in the content control system 1000, instead of the determination unit 110, a first determination unit and a second determination unit may be provided. The first determination unit is provided in the distribution device 100, and the second determination unit is provided in the receiving device 200. The first determination unit performs the same processing as the determination unit 110. The second determination unit determines the image quality, sound quality, and volume set in the receiving device 200 according to the specified attribute. That is, the content control system 1000 of Modification Example 1 does not change the image quality, sound quality, and volume of the content itself, but changes the image quality, sound quality, and volume set by the receiving device 200 including the output device. Note that each of the first determination unit and the second determination unit corresponds to the determination unit 1200.

[0067] [Modification Example 2] In the first embodiment, an example in which the specifying unit 230 specifies the viewer's attribute using the registration information has been described. The specifying unit 230 may specify the attribute without using the registration information. For example, the specifying unit 230 extracts the feature amount of the viewer from the captured image. Then, the specifying unit 230 specifies the viewer's attribute by estimating attributes such as the viewer's gender and age using the extracted feature amount and a pre-generated learning model. In this case, the learning model is a model that has learned the relationship between the feature amount and attributes such as gender and age. Note that a method for estimating the attributes of the person shown in the captured image from the captured image may be a method using known image processing techniques.

[0068] In addition, in Modification 2, the specifying unit 230 may estimate from the captured image that the viewer is wearing a hearing aid. In this case, the determination unit 110 may generate, for example, audio data having a volume greater than the volume of the audio data in the initial state, or may generate character data such that the characters are larger than the size of the characters in the character data in the initial state.

[0069] In addition, in Modification 2, the specifying unit 230 may estimate from the captured image that the viewer is sleeping. In this case, the determination unit 110 may generate, for example, audio data having a volume smaller than the volume of the audio data in the initial state.

[0070] [Modification 3] In the first embodiment, an example in which the determination unit 110 determines a component by generating a component corresponding to the specified attribute has been described. The determination unit 110 may determine a component by selecting a component corresponding to the attribute from a plurality of types of components generated in advance. In this case, for example, a generation unit that performs a process of generating components corresponding to various attributes in advance may be provided in the distribution device 100. Then, for example, the determination unit 110 selects a component corresponding to the specified attribute from the components generated by the generation unit.

[0071] In addition, as described above, when the determination unit 110 determines the components of the content output in the receiving device 200 by selecting from the components generated by the generation unit, the content control system 1000 may have the following configuration.

[0072] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the content control system 1000 according to Modification 3. In Modification 3, the distribution device 100 includes a generation unit 140 and a distribution unit 130, and further includes a storage device 190.

[0073] The generation unit 140 generates components according to various attributes, and stores the generated components in the storage device 190. The distribution unit 130 distributes the content in the initial state to the receiving device 200. In addition, the distribution unit 130 distributes data indicating the components generated by the generation unit 140 to the receiving device 200.

[0074] In Modification 3, the receiving device 200 includes a photographed image acquisition unit 210, a registration unit 220, a specifying unit 230, a content receiving unit 240, an output unit 250, a determination unit 110, and a control unit 120.

[0075] The content receiving unit 240 receives the content distributed from the distribution device 100. In addition, it receives data indicating the components generated by the generation unit 140. The determination unit 110 selects components according to the attributes of the viewer from the components received by the content receiving unit 240. Then, the control unit 120 controls the content so that the selected components are configured.

[0076] Next, the operation of the content control system 1000 of Modification 3 in the scenario of outputting content will be described. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the content control system 1000 of Modification 3.

[0077] The generation unit 140 of the distribution device 100 generates components according to various attributes (S301). Then, the distribution unit 130 distributes the content in the initial state and the generated components to the receiving device 200 (S302). The content receiving unit 240 of the receiving device 200 receives the content and the components (S303). Then, the photographing device 304 photographs the viewer (S304). The photographed image acquisition unit 210 acquires the photographed image (S305). The specifying unit 230 specifies the attributes of the viewer (S306).

[0078] The determination unit 110 of the distribution device 100 determines components according to the specified attributes (S307). Specifically, among the components received by the content reception unit 240, the components corresponding to the specified attributes are selected. The control unit 120 of the distribution device 100 controls the content so as to constitute the determined components (S308). Then, the output unit 250 outputs the content.

[0079] Note that in the sequence diagram of FIG. 10, the order of the processes of S301 to S303 and the processes of S304 to S306 may be reversed.

[0080] [Modification Example 4] The determination unit 110 may determine components using information other than attributes. For example, the determination unit 110 may determine the volume of the content based on the ambient sound. The ambient sound is the sound generated around the receiving device 200 including the output device. In this case, the receiving device 200 is provided with a sound collection unit such as a microphone (not shown). When the sound collection unit collects sound with a volume equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the sound collection unit transmits information on the volume of the collected sound to the distribution device 100. The predetermined value may be, for example, 50 db (decibel) or more. Then, the determination unit 110 may generate audio data with a volume greater than the volume of the initial audio data according to the collected sound. Further, when the determination unit 110 receives information on the volume of the sound collected by the sound collection unit, the determination unit 110 may generate character data so that subtitles are added to the content. Thus, the content control system 1000 of Modification Example 4 determines, among the components, the subtitles displayed in the content and the volume of the content based on the volume of the sound collected by the output device where the content is output.

[0081] [Modification Example 5] The receiving device 200 may receive an operation for changing a component of the content input by the viewer via the input means. In this case, the receiving device 200 may be provided with an operation reception unit. For example, assume that the content shown in FIG. 6A is being output. The operation reception unit receives, for example, an operation from the viewer to change the object at the position A in FIG. 6A to a predetermined character. The operation reception unit transmits information indicating the predetermined character to the distribution device 100. The determination unit 110 generates object data having the predetermined character as the object at the position A. In this way, the component may be corrected according to the viewer's operation. Also, at this time, the determination unit 110 may update the learning model when generating the component using the attribute of the viewer who performed the operation and the corrected component. Thereby, it is possible to determine a component more suitable for the viewer's needs.

[0082] <Second Embodiment> Next, the content control system according to the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the processing of the content control system when there are a plurality of viewers will be described. Note that in the second embodiment, some descriptions of the content overlapping with that described in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0083] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the content control system 1001 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the content control system 1001 includes a distribution device 100, a receiving device 201, and a photographing device 300.

[0084] The receiving device 201 includes a photographed image acquisition unit 210, a registration unit 220, a specification unit 230, a content reception unit 240, an output unit 250, and a viewer determination unit 260.

[0085] When a plurality of viewers are included in the captured image, the specifying unit 230 specifies the plurality of viewers based on the captured image and the registration information, and specifies the attributes for each of the plurality of viewers. The viewer determination unit 260 determines the priority viewer among the plurality of viewers. Specifically, the viewer determination unit 260 determines the priority viewer according to a predetermined rule among the plurality of viewers whose attributes are specified by the specifying unit 230. Then, the specifying unit 230 transmits the attributes of the priority viewer to the distribution device 100. The determination unit 110 determines the components according to the attributes of the priority viewer. In this way, the priority viewer is the viewer to be targeted when determining the components among the plurality of viewers.

[0086] The viewer determination unit 260 determines the priority viewer according to, for example, the priority information. The priority information is information associating the viewer ID with the priority. The priority information is stored, for example, in the storage device 290. The viewer determination unit 260 acquires the viewer ID of the viewer specified by the specifying unit 230. Then, the viewer determination unit 260 determines, based on the priority information, for example, the viewer with the higher priority among the specified viewers as the priority viewer. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the priority information. In the example of FIG. 12, the viewer ID, name, and priority are associated in the priority information. Also, in the example of FIG. 12, the viewer with the viewer ID "001" has a priority of "50", which is higher than that of other viewers. Therefore, for example, when the specifying unit 230 specifies the viewer with the viewer ID "001" and the viewer with the viewer ID "002", the viewer determination unit 260 determines the viewer with the viewer ID "001" having the higher priority as the priority viewer. Note that the priority information is generated, for example, by a registration unit that has received the priority information input by the viewer.

[0087] Note that the priority information is not limited to this example. For example, the priority information may include priorities according to time zones or the interests of viewers. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of priority information. In the example of FIG. 13, viewer IDs, basic priorities, time-zone priorities, and interest priorities are associated. The time-zone priority is a priority determined according to the time zone when the content is output. The item "15:00 - 17:00" in the time-zone priority of FIG. 13 indicates the priority between 15:00 and 17:00. At this time, the priority of the viewer with viewer ID "003" is "50", which is higher than that of other viewers. Therefore, for example, when the specific part 230 identifies the viewer with viewer ID "001" and the viewer with viewer ID "003", and the time zone is between 15:00 and 17:00, the viewer determination part 260 determines the viewer with viewer ID "003", who has a higher priority, as the priority viewer.

[0088] The interest priority is a priority determined according to the genre of the content that the viewer is interested in. The item "Anime" in the interest priority of FIG. 13 indicates the priority of the viewer when the genre of the output content is "Anime". At this time, the priority of the viewer with viewer ID "002" is "80", which is higher than that of other viewers. Therefore, for example, when the specific part 230 identifies the viewer with viewer ID "001" and the viewer with viewer ID "002", and the genre of the content is "Anime", the viewer determination part 260 determines the viewer with viewer ID "002", who has a higher priority, as the priority viewer. Note that the information on the genre of the content is included in the information on the content described above.

[0089] The viewer determination unit 260 may determine the priority viewers using either the time - band priority or the interest priority, or may determine the priority viewers considering both. For example, the viewer determination unit 260 performs a predetermined calculation using the time - band priority and the interest priority, and determines the priority viewers based on the result of the calculation. Suppose the priority information in FIG. 13 is stored in the storage device 290. And, for example, assume that the time is 18:00, the genre of the content to be output is "politics", and the specifying unit 230 has specified the viewer with viewer ID "001" and the viewer with viewer ID "002". In this case, the viewer determination unit 260 specifies that the viewer with viewer ID "001" has a time - band priority of "25" and an interest priority of "70". Then, the viewer determination unit 260 calculates "95", which is the sum of the respective priorities, as the priority of the viewer with viewer ID "001". Similarly, the viewer determination unit 260 calculates the priority of the viewer with viewer ID "002" as "70". Based on the calculated priorities, the viewer determination unit 260 determines the viewer with viewer ID "001" as the priority viewer. Note that the method of calculating the priority is not limited to this example, and various methods are applicable.

[0090] In this way, when the photographed image includes a plurality of viewers, the viewer determination unit 260 determines the priority viewers among the plurality of viewers based on at least either the time band when the content is output or the genre of the content in which the viewer is interested. The viewer determination unit 260 is an example of a viewer determination means.

[0091] Note that in the example of FIG. 13, when the time does not correspond to any of the items of the time - band priority and the genre of the content does not correspond to any of the items of the interest priority, the viewer determination unit 260 may determine the priority viewers according to the basic priority.

[0092] Also, in the above example, the viewer determination unit 260 determines the viewer with a larger priority value as the priority viewer, but it may also determine the viewer with a smaller priority value as the priority viewer.

[0093] [Content Control System 1001] Next, an example of the operation of the content control system 1001 will be described with reference to FIG. 14.

[0094] FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the content control system 1001. In this operation example, the operation when a plurality of persons are included in the captured image will be described.

[0095] The processes of S401 and S402 are the same as the processes of S201 and S202 in FIG. 8. The specifying unit 230 specifies a plurality of viewers from the captured image and specifies the respective attributes of the viewers (S403). Then, the viewer determination unit 260 determines a priority viewer (S404). Specifically, the viewer determination unit 260 determines a priority viewer based on the viewer ID and the priority information of the specified viewers. At this time, the specifying unit 230 transmits information on the attributes of the priority viewer to the distribution device 100. The processes of S405 to S409 are the same as the processes of S204 to S208 in FIG. 8.

[0096] As described above, when a plurality of viewers are included in the captured image, the content control system 1001 of the second embodiment determines a priority viewer among the plurality of viewers based on at least one of the time zone in which the content is output and the genre of the content in which the viewer is interested. Then, the content control system 1001 specifies the attributes of the priority viewer. With this configuration, the content control system 1001 of the second embodiment can determine a viewer to be prioritized according to the viewing environment when there are a plurality of viewers. Therefore, the content control system 1001 can provide content in a manner desired by the viewer.

[0097] [Modification Example 6] In the second embodiment, an example in which the viewer determination unit 260 determines a priority viewer and determines a component according to the attributes of the priority viewer has been described. The process when there are a plurality of viewers is not limited to this example.

[0098] For example, the determination unit 110 may determine components according to the combination of viewers. FIG. 15 is an example of the registration information of Modification 6. As shown in FIG. 15, corresponding attributes may be determined for each combination of viewers. For example, when the specifying unit 230 specifies a plurality of viewers from a captured image, the specifying unit 230 specifies an attribute corresponding to the combination of the specified viewers based on the registration information. Then, the specifying unit 230 transmits the specified attribute to the distribution device 101. The determination unit 110 determines components according to the attribute corresponding to the combination of viewers.

[0099] As described above, when a plurality of viewers are included in the captured image, the content control system 1001 of Modification 6 specifies the combination of viewers and determines components according to the combination of viewers. Thereby, even when there are a plurality of viewers, the content control system 1001 of Modification 6 can provide content corresponding to the plurality of viewers.

[0100] [Modification 7] During the output of one piece of content, the priority viewer may be changed. For example, in the case of a news program, there may be a plurality of corners such as a corner for conveying political information, a corner for conveying food information, and a corner for conveying sports information. The viewer determination unit 260 may determine a priority viewer in response to a change in the content being output in the content. In this case, the viewer determination unit 260 determines a priority viewer based on, for example, information on the genre of the content that the viewer is interested in. Assume that the registration information shown in FIG. 5 is stored in the storage device 290, and the viewers with viewer IDs "001" and "003" are specified by the specifying unit 230. In this case, when the content is outputting a corner for conveying political information, the viewer determination unit 260 determines the viewer with viewer ID "001" as the priority viewer. Also, when the content is outputting a corner for conveying health-related information, the viewer determination unit 260 determines the viewer with viewer ID "003" as the priority viewer. Note that information on the corners of the content is included as, for example, components of the content.

[0101] <Hardware Configuration Example of Content Control System> The hardware constituting the content control system of the above-described first and second embodiments will be described. FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer device that realizes the content control system in each embodiment. In the computer device 10, the content control system and the content control method described in each embodiment and each modification are realized. For example, each of the distribution device, the reception device, and the imaging device described in each embodiment and each modification may have the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 16. Further, when at least two or more of the distribution device, the reception device, and the imaging device are integrated into one device, the integrated device may have the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 16.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 16, the computer device 10 includes a processor 11, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13, a storage device 14, an input / output interface 15, a bus 16, and a drive device 17. Note that the content control system may be realized by a plurality of electric circuits.

[0103] The storage device 14 stores a program (computer program) 18. The processor 11 executes the program 18 of this content control system using the RAM 12. Specifically, for example, the program 18 includes programs that cause a computer to execute the processes shown in FIGS. 2, 8, 9, 11, and 15. When the processor 11 executes the program 18, the functions of each component of this content control system are realized. The program 18 may be stored in the ROM 13. Further, the program 18 may be recorded on a storage medium 20 and read using the drive device 17, or may be transmitted to the computer device 10 from an external device (not shown) via a network (not shown).

[0104] The input / output interface 15 exchanges data with peripheral devices (such as keyboards, mice, display devices, etc.) 19. The input / output interface 15 functions as a means for acquiring or outputting data. The bus 16 connects each component.

[0105] Note that there are various modifications to the method for implementing the content control system. For example, the content control system can be implemented as a dedicated device. Also, the content control system can be implemented based on a combination of multiple devices.

[0106] A processing method in which a program for realizing each component in the functions of each embodiment is recorded on a storage medium, the program recorded on the storage medium is read out as code, and executed on a computer is also included in the scope of each embodiment. That is, a computer-readable storage medium is also included in the scope of each embodiment. Also, the storage medium on which the above program is recorded, and the program itself are included in each embodiment.

[0107] The storage medium is, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card, or ROM, but is not limited to this example. Also, the program recorded on the storage medium is not limited to a program that executes processing alone, and programs that operate on an OS (Operating System) and execute processing in cooperation with other software and the functions of expansion boards are also included in the scope of each embodiment.

[0108] As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0109] 1000, 1001 Content control system 100 Distribution device 110, 1200 Decision-making Unit 120, 1300 Control Unit 130 Distribution Unit 190 Memory Device 200, 201 Receiver 210 Acquiring Unit for Captured Images 220 Registration Unit 230, 1100 Identification Unit 240 Content Receiver 250 Output Unit 260 Viewer Decision-making Unit 290 Memory Device 300 Imaging Device

Claims

1. Specific means for identifying the attributes of the viewer based on a captured image including the viewer; Determining means for determining components that are data constituting the content according to the identified attributes; Control means for controlling the content so that the determined components are configured in the content, comprising: The determining means determines, based on the volume of sound picked up by an output device where the content is output, among the components, the subtitles displayed in the content and the volume of the content; A content control system.

2. The determining means determines, according to the identified attributes, the content of the text output in the content among the components; The content control system according to claim 1.

3. The determining means determines, according to the identified attributes, the objects displayed in the content among the components; The content control system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. When the captured image includes a plurality of the viewers, viewer determining means for determining a priority viewer among the plurality of viewers based on at least one of the time zone when the content is output and the genre of the content that the viewer is interested in; The specific means identifies the attributes of the priority viewer; The content control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. When the captured image includes a plurality of the viewers, The specific means identifies the combination of the viewers; The determining means determines the components according to the combination of the viewers; The content control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. Determining means for determining components that are data constituting the content according to the attributes of the viewer identified from a captured image including the viewer; Control means for controlling the content so that the determined components are configured in the content, comprising: The determining means determines, based on the volume of sound picked up by an output device where the content is output, among the components, the subtitles displayed in the content and the volume of the content; A distribution device.

7. Based on a captured image including a viewer, identify the attributes of the viewer; Determine components that are data constituting the content according to the identified attributes; control the content so that the determined component is configured in the content, in the determining step, based on the volume of the sound picked up by the output device that outputs the content, determine, among the components, the subtitles displayed in the content and the volume of the content, Content control method.

8. a process of identifying the attributes of the viewer based on a captured image including the viewer; a process of determining a component that is data constituting the content according to the identified attributes; cause a computer to execute a process of controlling the content so that the determined component is configured in the content, in the determining process, based on the volume of the sound picked up by the output device that outputs the content, determine, among the components, the subtitles displayed in the content and the volume of the content, Program.

Images