Techniques for automatic real-time calculation of user wait times
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
- receiving, at a computing system from an overhead camera system, the computing system having one or more processors, overhead images of a group of users in a line at a venue, wherein the overhead camera system includes at least one overhead fish-eye lens camera (i) mounted to a ceiling in an area above the line and (ii) configured to capture the overhead images;
wherein the overhead camera system is configured to capture the overhead images at a frame rate based on a mounting height of the ceiling to which the camera system is mounted, wherein higher mounting heights correspond to higher frame rates and lower mounting heights correspond to lower frame rates;
performing, by the computing system, edge correction on the overhead images by adjusting the edges of the overhead images to account for distortion caused by curvature of the fish-eye lens to obtain corrected overhead images;
applying, by the computing system, a set of filters to the corrected overhead images to at least obtain filtered overhead images, wherein each filter of the set of filters further distinguishes humans from noise;
generating, by the computing system, an x-y coordinate system for each of the filtered overhead images and identifying each user in the filtered overhead images as a point or a circle having a specific x-y coordinate or a specific range of x-y coordinates;
monitoring, by the computing system, the group of users using vector representations in the x-y coordinate system to obtain a user wait time for the line, the monitoring including;
(a) identifying the group of users and a user of the group of users that is second in the line to obtain a target user,(b) detecting when the target user becomes first in the line to obtain a start time,(c) after the target user becomes first in the line, detecting when the target user leaves the line to obtain an end time,(d) determining a period from the start time to the end time, and(e) calculating the user wait time by calculating a product of (i) the determined period and (ii) a quantity of the group of users in the line after the target user leaves the line; and
outputting, from the computing system, the calculated user wait time.
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Abstract
A computer-implemented technique can process overhead images of users in a line at a venue to obtain a user wait time for the line. The processing can include (a) identifying a user of the group of users that is second in the line to obtain a target user, (b) detecting when the target user becomes first in the line to obtain a start time, (c) after the target user becomes first in the line, detecting when the target user leaves the line to obtain an end time, (d) determining a period from the start time to the end time, and (e) calculating the user wait time by calculating a product of (i) the determined period and (ii) a quantity of the group of users in the line after the target user leaves the line. The calculated user wait time can then be output.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
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receiving, at a computing system from an overhead camera system, the computing system having one or more processors, overhead images of a group of users in a line at a venue, wherein the overhead camera system includes at least one overhead fish-eye lens camera (i) mounted to a ceiling in an area above the line and (ii) configured to capture the overhead images; wherein the overhead camera system is configured to capture the overhead images at a frame rate based on a mounting height of the ceiling to which the camera system is mounted, wherein higher mounting heights correspond to higher frame rates and lower mounting heights correspond to lower frame rates; performing, by the computing system, edge correction on the overhead images by adjusting the edges of the overhead images to account for distortion caused by curvature of the fish-eye lens to obtain corrected overhead images; applying, by the computing system, a set of filters to the corrected overhead images to at least obtain filtered overhead images, wherein each filter of the set of filters further distinguishes humans from noise; generating, by the computing system, an x-y coordinate system for each of the filtered overhead images and identifying each user in the filtered overhead images as a point or a circle having a specific x-y coordinate or a specific range of x-y coordinates; monitoring, by the computing system, the group of users using vector representations in the x-y coordinate system to obtain a user wait time for the line, the monitoring including; (a) identifying the group of users and a user of the group of users that is second in the line to obtain a target user, (b) detecting when the target user becomes first in the line to obtain a start time, (c) after the target user becomes first in the line, detecting when the target user leaves the line to obtain an end time, (d) determining a period from the start time to the end time, and (e) calculating the user wait time by calculating a product of (i) the determined period and (ii) a quantity of the group of users in the line after the target user leaves the line; and outputting, from the computing system, the calculated user wait time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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6. An automatic, real-time user wait time calculation system, comprising:
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an overhead camera system comprising at least one overhead fish-eye lens camera (i) mounted to a ceiling in an area above the line and (ii) configured to capture overhead images of a group of users in a line at a venue; and a computing system in communication with the overhead camera system and configured to; capture the overhead images at a frame rate based on a mounting height of the ceiling to which the camera system is mounted, wherein higher mounting heights correspond to higher frame rates and lower mounting heights correspond to lower frame rates; perform edge correction on the overhead images by adjusting the edges of the overhead images to account for distortion caused by curvature of the fish-eye lens to obtain corrected overhead images; apply a set of filters to the corrected overhead images to at least obtain filtered overhead images, wherein each filter of the set of filters further distinguishes humans from noise; generate an x-y coordinate system for each of the filtered overhead images and identifying each user in the filtered overhead images as a point or a circle having a specific x-y coordinate or a specific range of x-y coordinates; and monitor the group of users using vector representations in the x-y coordinate system to obtain a user wait time for the line, the monitoring including; (a) identify the group of users and a user of the group of users that is second in the line to obtain a target user, (b) detect when the target user becomes first in the line to obtain a start time, (c) after the target user becomes first in the line, detect when the target user leaves the line to obtain an end time, (d) determine a period from the start time to the end time, (e) calculate the user wait time by calculating a product of (i) the determined period and (ii) a quantity of the group of users in the line after the target user leaves the line, and (f) output the calculated user wait time. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification