Screen Error Detection and Automatic Normalization System

Abstract

A screen error detection and automatic normalization system according to the present invention may be configured to include: first and second content servers that include the same content information and operate independently of each other, each transmitting a first and second image signal for said content information; a display device that displays a first image signal transmitted from the first content server as a screen; a monitoring device that monitors whether a screen error has occurred based on a screen image displayed on the display device; and a switching device that, when the monitoring device detects a screen error, blocks the first image signal transmitted from the first content server and transmits a second image signal transmitted from the second content server to the display device.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for detecting and automatically restoring normal operation when an unintended screen error occurs in a display device such as a large screen or an electronic display board. Background Technology

[0002] Large screens and electronic billboards are widely used to effectively convey various information to the public, such as displaying advertisements in public places, showing real-time action and replays in sports stadiums, displaying real-time information like safety messages in places like airports and train stations, and displaying live action of performers or various content at concerts and live events.

[0003] As such, when unintended images are displayed on screens intended to show content information to the public, various problems can arise that affect the screen's functionality and the perception of the displayed content. For instance, in places like airports or train stations where the transmission of information is crucial, screen errors can undermine the reliability of that information; conversely, in environments like sports stadiums where clarity and visibility are critical to the audience experience, the visibility of the content may be compromised. Furthermore, if an advertised brand is not properly reflected due to screen errors, it can lead to a negative perception of the brand's credibility and expertise. This can also cause safety issues, particularly when used to display safety guidelines or warnings in public spaces. The problem to be solved

[0004] The present invention aims to provide a screen error detection and automatic normalization system capable of immediately detecting and automatically restoring a screen error when it occurs in a display device, such as a large screen or an electronic billboard, as described above.

[0005] The objectives of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned objectives will be clearly understood from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0006] A screen error detection and automatic normalization system according to the present invention may be configured to include: first and second content servers that include the same content information and operate independently of each other, each transmitting a first and second image signal for said content information; a display device that displays a first image signal transmitted from the first content server as a screen; a monitoring device that monitors whether a screen error has occurred based on a screen image displayed on the display device; and a switching device that, when the monitoring device detects a screen error, blocks the first image signal transmitted from the first content server and transmits a second image signal transmitted from the second content server to the display device.

[0007] Here, the monitoring device may include: a screen image information collection unit that collects screen image information displayed on the display device in real time or at regular intervals; and a screen error determination unit that determines whether there is a screen error based on the screen image input through the screen image information collection unit.

[0008] In addition, the screen error determination unit may include an artificial neural network module trained to determine whether there is a screen error using screen image information as input data. Effects of the invention

[0009] In the present invention, when an error occurs in the first content server, the screen error displayed by the transmitted signal can be immediately monitored so that a screen image based on a normal signal is automatically displayed. Through this, screen errors that may occur in various display devices, such as large screens, electronic display boards, and store kiosks, can be immediately detected and automatically restored to normal without the need for separate personnel to monitor them. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a screen error detection and automatic normalization system according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a block diagram that schematically illustrates the configuration of the first content server. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating various screen error situations that may occur on large screens, etc. Figure 4 is a drawing illustrating an actual case where a screen error occurred on a large screen. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0011] Prior to the detailed description of the present invention, the terms and words used in the specification and claims described below should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings. Instead, they should be interpreted in a sense and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the present invention, based on the principle that the inventor may appropriately define the concept of the terms to best describe his invention. Accordingly, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all aspects of the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications capable of replacing them may exist at the time of filing this application.

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that identical components in the accompanying drawings are indicated by the same reference numerals whenever possible. Furthermore, detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations that could obscure the essence of the invention will be omitted. For the same reason, some components in the accompanying drawings may be exaggerated, omitted, or schematically depicted, and the size of each component does not entirely reflect its actual size.

[0013] To clarify the features and advantages of the means for solving the problem of the present invention, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, detailed descriptions of known functions or configurations that may obscure the essence of the present invention in the following description and the accompanying drawings are omitted. Additionally, it should be noted that identical components throughout the drawings are indicated by the same reference numerals whenever possible.

[0014] Terms and words used in the following description and drawings should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of terms to best describe his invention. Accordingly, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the invention and do not represent all aspects of the technical spirit of the invention; therefore, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications capable of replacing them may exist at the time of filing this application.

[0015] Furthermore, terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., are used to describe various components and are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another, and are not used to limit said components. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the second component may be named the first component, and similarly, the first component may be named the second component.

[0016] Furthermore, when it is stated that one component is "connected" or "joined" to another component, this implies that they may be connected or joined logically or physically. In other words, it should be understood that while a component may be directly connected or joined to another component, there may also be other components in between, or the connection may be indirect.

[0017] Furthermore, the terms used in this specification are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Additionally, terms such as “comprising” or “having” as used in this specification are intended to indicate the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0018] Additionally, terms such as “…part,” “…unit,” and “module” as described in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and this may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, “one (a or an),” “one,” “the,” and similar terms may be used in the context describing the invention (particularly in the context of the following claims) to include both singular and plural forms, unless otherwise indicated in the specification or clearly contradicted by the context.

[0019] First, a screen error detection and automatic normalization system (hereinafter referred to as the 'system') according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining each component constituting the system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the system according to the present invention may be configured to include a first content server (100), a second content server (200), a display device (300), a monitoring device (400), and a switch device (500).

[0020] The first and second content servers (100, 200) contain the same content information and operate independently of each other, and each generates a first and second image signal (101, 201) for the content information and transmits it to a display device (300). Then, the display device (300) displays the first image signal (101) or the second image signal (201) transmitted from the first content server (100) or the second content server (200) on a screen (300a).

[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the first content server (100), but the second content server (200) also has substantially the same configuration. As shown in FIG. 2, the first content server (100) may include a communication unit (110), an input unit (120), a display unit (130), a storage unit (140), and a control unit (150).

[0022] The communication unit (110) is intended to transmit a first image signal (101) to a display device (300) through a switching device (500). The communication unit (110) transmits the first image signal (101) generated to the display device (300) to display content information on the screen.

[0023] The input unit (120) receives key operations from a manager for control, generates an input signal, and transmits it to the control unit (150). The input unit (120) may include various keys for control. If the display unit (130) is a touchscreen, the functions of the various keys may be performed on the display unit (130); if all functions can be performed solely by the touchscreen, the input unit (120) may be omitted.

[0024] The display unit (130) visually provides the administrator with a menu for managing content information, input data, function setting information, and various other information. The display unit (130) performs the function of outputting screens such as a boot screen, a standby screen, and a menu screen. In particular, the display unit (130) can display content information and status information therefor on the screen. Such a display unit (130) can be formed using a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED), Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes (AMOLED), etc. Meanwhile, the display unit (130) can be implemented as a touchscreen. In this case, the display unit (130) includes a touch sensor. The touch sensor detects the user's touch input. The touch sensor may be composed of touch detection sensors such as capacitive overlay, pressure, resistive overlay, or infrared beam, or it may be composed of a pressure sensor. In addition to the above sensors, any type of sensor device capable of detecting contact or pressure of an object may be used as the touch sensor of the present invention. The touch sensor detects the user's touch input, generates a detection signal, and transmits it to the control unit (150). In particular, if the display unit (130) is a touchscreen, some or all of the functions of the input unit (120) may be performed through the display unit (130).

[0025] The storage unit (140) performs the role of storing programs and data necessary to display content information on a screen. For example, the storage unit (140) can store various content information, such as still images or videos. Additionally, various data stored in the storage unit (140) may be stored in a database format. Furthermore, data regarding various content information stored in the storage unit (140) may be registered, deleted, changed, or added according to user operations.

[0026] The control unit (150) can control the overall operation of the first content server (100) and the signal flow between internal blocks, and perform data processing functions for processing data. The control unit (150) may be a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. The control unit (150) generates a first image signal for the content information by executing a program to display the content information as a still image or a video image.

[0027] The second content server (200) may be configured with substantially the same components as the first content server (100) described above. Additionally, the second content server (200) may include a separate storage unit containing the same content information stored in the storage unit (140) of the first content server (100). Furthermore, the second content server (200) operates independently of the first content server (100). For example, two PCs may be configured as physically separated computing devices, with one serving as the first content server (100) and the other as the second content server (200), or two virtualized desktops may be operated on a single PC to create an environment where the first content server (100) and the second content server (200) are logically separated.

[0028] Meanwhile, the display device (300) receives a first image signal (101) or a second image signal (201) transmitted from a first or second content server (100, 200) via a switching device (500) and displays it as a screen image (301).

[0029] The monitoring device (400) monitors whether a screen error has occurred based on a screen image (301) displayed on a display device (300). Specifically, the monitoring device (400) generates screen image information by capturing a screen image displayed on the display device (300) in real time or at regular intervals through a screen image information collection unit (410). Based on the screen image information generated in this way, a screen error detection unit (420) determines whether a screen error has occurred. The screen error detection unit (420) may be composed of a neural network trained to determine whether a screen error has occurred using the screen image information as input data.

[0030] The artificial neural network module constituting the screen error detection unit (420) determines whether a screen error has occurred in the screen image information given as input. Here, the artificial neural network module may be configured to include multiple layers classified into an input layer, multiple hidden layers, and an output layer. Each of the multiple layers includes multiple operations to which weights (W) are applied. It is preferable that the input layer and the multiple hidden layers be connected in a non-linear structure. In the case of the hidden layer, it may have the form of a convolutional layer, a residual layer, a fully connected layer, etc., depending on the characteristics of the input data. Various neural network models known in the past for the purpose of object detection within an image (RCNN, YOLO, etc.) can be used for such combinations of hidden layers. The output layer takes the output of the previous hidden layer as input and outputs a latent vector expressed in vector form indicating whether a screen error has occurred in the screen image information.

[0031] The artificial neural network module is trained to produce an output value indicating whether a screen error has occurred in a screen image. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, various errors may occur while the first content server (100) is in operation, such as (A) when an error occurs in the operation of a program running on the operating system and the program is forcibly terminated, (B) when an error occurs due to a communication disconnection and an error message is displayed on the screen, (C) when a blue screen is displayed due to a problem with the operating system itself, or (D) when an image of content information is not displayed due to an update of the operating system. The artificial neural network module can output a real value in the form of "1" when a screen error occurs and "0" when it does not occur. The artificial neural network module can be trained by adjusting the weights of the deep neural network so that the output value of the loss function, which takes the output value and a preset expectation value as inputs, decreases, that is, so that the difference between the output value and the expectation value is minimized. That is, the latent vector output by the artificial neural network module for the screen image input as training data is adjusted in a direction that lowers the output value of the loss function so that it indicates a screen error (the process of adjusting the weights in this way is called 'learning'). Finally, the artificial neural network module (420) is trained to output a latent vector indicating that a screen error has occurred in the input screen image.

[0032] The above-described monitoring device (400) may be implemented in the form of a program readable through various computing means and recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Here, the recording medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc., either individually or in combination. For example, the recording medium includes magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as floptical disks; and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. Examples of program instructions may include machine language wires, such as those generated by a compiler, as well as high-level language wires that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc.

[0033] Returning to FIG. 1, when the screen error detection unit (420) including the artificial neural network module detects a screen error in the screen image, the switching device (500) blocks the first image signal (101) transmitted from the first content server (100) and transmits the second image signal (201) transmitted from the second content server (200) to the display device (300). That is, when an error occurs in the first image signal, the switching device (500) automatically switches to the second image signal (201) instead of the first image signal (101), and accordingly, the display device (300) displays the normal second image signal (201) as a screen image.

[0034] The first image signal (101) transmitted from the first content server (100) is merely digital information distinguished by 1 or 0, so it is not possible to verify whether the first image signal (101) is data that normally displays content information based on this. Therefore, it is difficult to immediately check for screen errors displayed on the display device (300) despite various error situations such as those shown in FIG. 3. In fact, as shown in FIG. 4, even though an error screen was being transmitted for a while on an electronic display board installed in a certain department store in Korea, it took a considerable amount of time for the manager to check and take action. In the present invention, when an error occurs in the first content server, the screen error displayed by the transmitted signal can be immediately monitored so that a screen image based on a normal signal is automatically displayed. Through this, screen errors that may occur in various display devices, such as large screens, electronic display boards, and store kiosks, can be immediately detected and automatically normalized without the need for separate personnel to monitor them.

[0035] Additionally, if the monitoring device (400) detects a screen error, it may notify the manager device (600) of the error occurrence to induce the manager to take action regarding the first content server (100) where the error occurred. While the manager is taking action regarding the error situation regarding the first content server (100), a normal second image signal (201) is displayed on the display device by the second content server (200). Furthermore, the switching device (500) may switch the image signal by the manager device (600). For example, while updating new content information on the first content server (100), the second image signal (201) transmitted from the second content server (200) may be displayed on the display device (300), and after the update is finished, it may be switched back to the first image signal (101).

[0036] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, those skilled in the art may implement the invention in modified forms without departing from the essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention described herein should be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the description above, and all variations within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the present invention.

Claims

Claim 1 A screen error detection and automatic normalization system comprising: first and second content servers that contain identical content information and operate independently of each other, each transmitting a first and second image signal for said content information; a display device that displays a first image signal transmitted from the first content server on a screen; a screen image information collection unit that collects screen image information by capturing a screen image displayed on the display device in real time or at regular intervals, and a screen error determination unit that determines whether there is a screen error based on the screen image information input through the screen image information collection unit; a monitoring device that monitors whether a screen error occurs based on a screen image displayed on the display device; and a switching device that, when the monitoring device detects a screen error, blocks the first image signal transmitted from the first content server and transmits a second image signal transmitted from the second content server to the display device. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 A screen error detection and automatic normalization system according to claim 1, wherein the screen error determination unit includes an artificial neural network module trained to determine whether a screen error exists using screen image information as input data.

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