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Camera hierarchy for monitoring large facilities

  • US 10,291,862 B1
  • Filed: 12/23/2014
  • Issued: 05/14/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2014
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A vision based monitoring system, comprising:

  • a first camera cluster positioned in a first area of a materials handling facility, the first camera cluster including a first plurality of cameras;

    a second camera cluster positioned in a second area of the materials handling facility, the second camera cluster including a second plurality of cameras;

    a first camera cluster processing system remote from the materials handling facility, the first camera cluster processing system including;

    a first one or more processors; and

    a first memory storing first program instructions that when executed by the first one or more processors cause the first one or more processors to at least;

    receive, from each camera of the first plurality of cameras of the first camera cluster, image data representative of at least a portion of an image obtained from a respective camera of the first plurality of cameras;

    process the image data received from each respective camera of the first plurality of cameras of the first camera cluster to determine a first user pattern representative of a first user positioned in a first field of view of a first camera of the first plurality of cameras of the first camera cluster and in a second field of view of a second camera of the first plurality of cameras of the first camera cluster, wherein determination of the first user pattern includes;

    associating first image data of the first camera representative of the first user with a respective physical location of the materials handling facility in the first field of view of the first camera;

    associating second image data of the second camera representative of the first user with a respective physical location of the materials handling facility in the second field of view of the second camera;

    determining that a first portion of the first image data is associated with a first location;

    determining that a second portion of the second image data is associated with the first location, wherein the first location is within the first field of view that at least partially overlaps with the second field of view; and

    including, in the first user pattern, a first color data and a first depth information corresponding to the first portion of the first image data as representative of the first location, without including a second color data and a second depth information corresponding to the second portion of the second image data in the first user pattern;

    assign a first identifier to the first user pattern, wherein the first identifier identifies the first user pattern; and

    send to a cluster aggregation system, the first identifier and first location information corresponding to the first location, without sending to the cluster aggregation system the first image data or the second image data;

    a second camera cluster processing system remote from the materials handling facility, the second camera cluster processing system including;

    a second one or more processors; and

    a second memory storing second program instructions that when executed by the second one or more processors further cause the second one or more processors to at least;

    receive, from each camera of the second plurality of cameras of the second camera cluster, image data representative of at least a portion of an image obtained from a respective camera of the second plurality of cameras of the second camera cluster,process the image data received from each respective camera of the second plurality of cameras of the second camera cluster to determine a second user pattern representative of a second user positioned in a third field of view of a third camera of the second plurality of cameras of the second camera cluster and in a fourth field of view of a fourth camera of the second plurality of cameras of the second camera cluster, wherein determination of the second user pattern includes;

    associating third image data of the third camera representative of the second user with a respective physical location of the materials handling facility in the third field of view of the third camera;

    associating fourth image data of the fourth camera representative of the second user with a respective physical location of the materials handling facility in the fourth field of view of the fourth camera;

    determining that a third portion of the third image data is associated with a second location;

    determining that a fourth portion of the fourth image data is associated with the second location, wherein the second location is within the third field of view that at least partially overlaps with the fourth field of view; and

    including, in the second user pattern, a third color data and a third depth information corresponding to the third portion of the third image data as representative of the second location, without including a fourth color data and a fourth depth information corresponding to the fourth portion of the fourth image data in the second user pattern; and

    assign a second identifier to the second user pattern, wherein the second identifier identifies the second user pattern;

    send to the cluster aggregation system, the second identifier and second location information corresponding to the second location of the second user pattern, without sending to the cluster aggregation system the third image data or the fourth image data;

    the cluster aggregation system remote from the materials handling facility, the cluster aggregation system including;

    a third one or more processors; and

    a third memory storing third program instructions that when executed by the third one or more processors cause the third one or more processors to at least;

    receive from the first camera cluster processing system the first identifier and the first location information, without receiving the image data received from each respective camera of the first plurality of cameras;

    receive from the second camera cluster processing system the second identifier and the second location information, without receiving the image data received from each respective camera of the second plurality of cameras;

    determine an overlap between at least a portion of the first location information and the second location information;

    in response to determination of an overlap;

    determine, based at least in part on the first location information and a first prior location information for the first user, a first trajectory of the first user;

    determine, based at least in part on the second location information and a second prior location information for the second user, a second trajectory of the second user; and

    determine, based at least in part on the first trajectory and the second trajectory, that the first user and the second user are a same user; and

    associate at least one of the first location information, the second location information, the first identifier, or the second identifier with a user identifier representative of the same user.

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