Sony Corporation

Sony Electronics Inc

Sony Group Corporation

Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

Other

Saturn Licensing LLC

Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

Peter Rae Shintani

Brant L Candelore

Robert Winston Blanchard

Mahyar Nejat

Morio Usami

Keith Resch

Hirofumi Usui

Ludovic Etienne Douillet

Luke Fay

Fred Ansfield

Bibhudendu Mohapatra

William Clay

Pablo Antonio Espinosa

Jose Omar Gonzalez Hernandez

Robert Hardacker

Frederick J Zustak

Aran London Sadja

Kenichiro Toyoshima

Gregory Carlsson

Adam Michael Goldberg

Edgar Allan Tu

David Boyden

Koichi Oshima

Nicholas James Colsey

Mark Eyer

Ryuichi Iwamura

Behram Mario Dacosta

Kazumoto Kondo

Takashi Hironaka

Kazuyuki Shikama

Eiji Kono

Thomas Patrick Dawson

Djung N Nguyen

Graham Clift

Sho Murakoshi

Leo Pedlow

Rolf Toft

Takamichi Mitsuhashi

Milton Massey Frazier

Andrew M Proehl

Loren F Pineda

Ban Kawamura

George Edward Williams

Behram daCosta

Matthew Chang

Rajesh Rao

Arthur Hironari Ozaki

Mark Hanson

Ian Charles Matthews

Dayan Golden

Jason R Meerbergen

Aditya Krishnan

David K L Yang

Yoshi Hirabayashi

Steven Richman

Norihiro Nagai

Michael Donald McDermott

Kissei Matsumoto

Takaaki Ota

Stephane Lejeune

Tanmay Agnihotri

Tohru Doumuki

Aravind Asam

Masaomi Nishidate

Shigeharu Kondo

Max Wu

Kiyoto Shibuya

Theodore R Booth

Fred Zustak

Paul Doyle

Hoda Sayyadinejad

Tetsuya Nomura

Art Ozaki

Yoshihisa Tahara

Christopher Scott Szabo

Hisafumi Yamada

Rika Allard

Leo Mark Pedlow, Jr

Robert L Hardacker

David C Boyden

Mahyar Mike Nejat

Rajesh K Rao

George Williams

Mark A Hanson

Faster channel change time in ATSC such as ATSC 3.0 is effected by using the native tuner of a display device to present a currently demanded channel and a second tuner, which can be dongle-based, to tune/scan preemptively in the background based upon heuristics such as usage pattern of the user. If the user is pressing channel-up key using a remote control, the second tuner can be scanning and tuning the next channel in the channel map to preemptively tune to a second channel likely to be desired by the user for immediate presentation of that channel through the second tuner.

Faster channel change time system for ATSC 3.0

An acoustic-based Direction of Arrival (DoA) system uses acoustic information to determine the direction of incoming sound, such as a person talking. The direction of the sound is then used to focus a laser-based time of flight (ToF) system to narrow the area of laser illumination, improving the signal to noise ratio because laser illumination is focused on the direction of the sound. The DoA system also provides elevation information pertaining to the source of the sound, to further narrow the required field of view of the laser ToF system.

Performance of a time of flight (ToF) laser range finding system using acoustic-based direction of arrival (DoA)

To reduce energy consumption in a low power mode, a display device such as a TV deenergizes its display and components in its network stack while leaving its infrared (IR) receiver on. A home network device that is not a conventional TV remote control (RC), for instance, a smart speaker, can receive a voice command to energize the TV, and instead of sending a wake up command to the TV through the home network, transmits an IR wake up command or sonic wake up command or non-IP RF command to the TV, which energizes its network stack and display in response.

Energy efficient method for home networking

A system and method for signaling changes in aspect ratio of media content is provided. The system acquires a video stream to be transmitted to an electronic device and determines aspect ratio information associated with content included in the video stream. The system further determines a change in an aspect ratio of the content based on the aspect ratio information. The change in the aspect ratio may be from a first value at a first timestamp to a second value at a second timestamp for a duration of the content. The system signals information indicative of the determined change to the electronic device.

Signaling changes in aspect ratio of media content

An electronic device and method for emergency alert message detection based on audio-video information is disclosed. The electronic device receives first media content received over a first broadcast channel. The electronic device renders second media content, which is different from the first media content. The electronic device further detects, from the received first media content, a set of objects associated with a geo-location corresponding to the electronic device. The set of objects corresponds to an emergency at the geo-location. The electronic device further detects an emergency alert audio in the received first media content. The electronic device further extracts an emergency alert message received over a second broadcast channel associated with the geo-location based on the detected set of objects and the emergency alert audio in the received first media content. The electronic device further renders an emergency alert signal associated with the emergency alert message.

Emergency alert message detection on electronic device based on audio-video information

Provided is an electronic device that captures a first image of a user. The electronic device determines a position of eye gaze of the user on a first UI element of a plurality of UI elements displayed on a first display screen of the electronic device, based on the first image. The electronic device selects the first UI element based on a determination of the position of the eye gaze on the first UI element for a time interval. The electronic device transmits a first control signal to a media display device, based on the selection of the first UI element. The electronic device receives a feedback image from the media display device. The feedback image indicates control of the media display device based on the first control signal. The electronic device controls the first display screen to display the feedback image with the plurality of UI elements.

Media display device control based on eye gaze

A media rendering device and method for reproduction control of scene description is provided. The media rendering device retrieves media content that includes a set of filmed scenes and text information. The text information includes video description information and timing information. The video description information describes a filmed scene in the set of filmed scenes. The media rendering device further extracts the timing information to reproduce the video description information from the text information of the filmed scene. The media rendering device further controls the reproduction of the video description information in either a textual representation or in a textual and audio representation at a first-time interval indicated by the extracted timing information of the filmed scene.

Reproduction control of scene description

An image capturing apparatus and a method for depth of filed (DOF) adjustment in images based on time of flight (TOF) depth maps is provided. The image capturing apparatus includes an image sensor and circuitry. The circuitry generates a TOF depth map of a scene that includes a plurality of objects. The TOF depth map includes information associated with distances between the image sensor and surfaces of the plurality of objects. The circuitry divides the TOF depth map into a plurality of regions that corresponds to at least one object of the plurality of objects. The circuitry determines a region of interest from the plurality of regions and adjusts the DOF of the at least one object associated with the determined region of interest. The circuitry further controls the image sensor to capture an image of the scene based on the adjusted DOF.

Depth of field adjustment in images based on time of flight depth maps

A media rendering device and method for scan of channels on the media rendering device is provided. The media rendering device determines a first geographical region associated with a location of the media rendering device. A first set of over-the-air (OTA) channels may be communicated in the first geographical region. The media rendering device determines a second geographical region within a threshold distance from the location of the media rendering device. A second set of OTA channels may be communicated in the second geographical region. The media rendering device receives a first user input to scan the first set of OTA channels and the second set of OTA channels, and configures the first set of OTA channels and the second set of OTA channels on the media rendering device, based on the scan of the first set of OTA channels and the second set of OTA channels.

Efficient channel scanning for media rendering device

A media control device is provided. The media control device includes a first output port and a second output port. The media control device receives a user input indicative of disability information of a user. Further, the media control device controls the first output port to output a first audio portion of media content. The media control device further retrieves a second audio portion which describes a first image portion of the media content based on the received user input. The first image portion is associated with the first audio portion. The media control device further controls the second output port to output the first audio portion and the second audio portion based on the received user input.

Multiple output control based on user input

An electronic apparatus and method for enhancement of audio for users with a hearing impairment in a shared listening environment is provided. The electronic apparatus receives first audio content from a media source and detects a first user with a hearing disability as a wearer of the personal listening device. The electronic apparatus modifies one or more features of the first audio content based on an audio enhancement profile associated with the detected first user. Thereafter, the electronic apparatus generates second audio content based on the modification and shares the generated second audio content with the personal listening device.

Audio enhancement for hearing impaired in a shared listening environment

An electronic device includes circuitry, firmware, and software that determines identification information associated with a first performer-of-interest at a live event and retrieves a first set of audio tracks from a plurality of audio tracks based on the determined identification information. The circuitry receives a first audio segment associated with the first performer-of-interest from an audio capturing device. The circuitry compares a first audio characteristic of the first audio segment with a second audio characteristic of a first audio portion of each of the first set of audio tracks. The circuitry determines a first audio track based on the comparison between the first audio characteristic and the second audio characteristic. The circuitry identifies a start position of the first audio track based on the first audio segment associated with the first audio track. The circuitry controls a display of the first lyrics information of the first audio track.

Audio track determination based on identification of performer-of-interest at live event

An electronic device and method for rendering content on displays in a living environment based on environment outside the living environment is provided. The electronic device receives first images of a living environment from a first image capturing device positioned inside the living environment and detects a facial region of a user based on the received first images. The electronic device tracks a head position or an eye gaze of the user based on the detected facial region and selects a second image capturing device from a plurality of image capturing devices. The plurality of image capturing devices is coupled with the electronic device and is positioned outside the living environment. The electronic device receives second images from the selected second image capturing device and controls a display screen, associated with the electronic device and inside the living environment, to display the received second images.

Rendering con pent on displays in living environment based on environment outside living environment

Implementations generally relate to improving accessibility for digital devices. In some implementations, a method includes receiving a first selection of at least one button of a plurality of buttons of a user interface. The method further includes determining a type of the first selection based on one or more button selection characteristics. The method further includes determining a first command based at least in part on the type of the first selection. The method further includes providing an audible indication corresponding to the first command, wherein the audible indication indicates button information.

Accessibility for digital devices

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Peter Rae Shintani