METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR SIMULATION AND REPRESENTATION OF AGENTS IN A HIGH-DENSITY AUTONOMOUS CROWD

• US 20090306946A1
• Filed: 04/07/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania (University of Pennsylvania)
• Original Assignee: Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania (University of Pennsylvania)
• Inventors: Allbeck, Jan, Badler, Norman I, Pelechano-Gomez, Nuria
• Application Number:
  US12/419,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20090306946A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/2
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6623 for animating a group of characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/004 Artificial life, i.e. computing arrangements simulating life
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2213/12 Rule based animation

Abstract

This invention relates to methods and systems for simulation and representation of the behavior of individuals in a high-density autonomous crowd in response to a changing dynamic environment.

Claims

1. A method for displaying behavior of a high density autonomous crowd in a environment on a display, comprising the steps of:

simulating a behavior of a plurality of the autonomous agents of the high density autonomous crowd in a representation of the dynamic environment;

wherein the simulating is responsive to at least one characteristic of each autonomous agent of a plurality of autonomous agents of the high density autonomous crowd;

wherein at least one characteristic is selected from a group consisting of a physiological characteristic and a behavior characteristic; and

displaying the plurality of autonomous agents in the dynamic environment.

2. The method of claim 1, whereby the simulating comprises applying a parameterized social forces model.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising simulating a behavior of each autonomous agent in response to at least one predetermined psychological model variable.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising performing at least one out of a high level behavior simulating and a low level behavior simulating.

5. The method according to claim 4 comprising wherein at least one of the high level behavior and the low level behavior is driven by a psychological model.

6. The method of claim 4, whereby the high level behavior simulating comprises simulating at least one of navigation, learning, communication between agents, and decision-making.

7. The method of claim 4, comprising performing high level behavior simulation in response to a psychological state variable and an agent personality.

8. The method of claim 5, whereby the psychological state variable comprises at least one out of panic, impatience, leader versus follower, trained versus untrained, communication, probability of suffering panic, current state of panic, probability of propagating panic, probability of falling, pushing thresholds, right preference, and avoidance intensity.

9. The method of claim 4 comprising performing low level behavior simulation in response to at least one of speed, fall probability, pushing thresholds, orientation skills, queuing behavior, impatience, avoidance behavior.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the simulating is responsive to an applying of at least one stopping rule to forces that affect a movement of an autonomous agent.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the simulating is responsive to an applying of at least one stopping rule to forces that affects a movement of an autonomous agent by setting a period between consecutive simulated movements of the autonomous agent.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the simulating is responsive to an applying of at least one stopping rule to forces that affect a movement of an autonomous agent by setting a random period between consecutive simulated movements of the autonomous agent.

13. The method according to claim 1 comprising defining an influence region for an autonomous agent.

14. The method according to claim 13 comprising triggering a waiting behavior autonomous agent in response to the influence region.

15. The method according to claim 1 comprising defining a variable length influence region for an autonomous agent.

16. The method according to claim 1 wherein the simulating comprises simulating a collision response of an autonomous agent in response to at least one personal space threshold.

17. The method according to claim 1 wherein the simulating comprises applying a tangential force for obstacle avoidance without applying a repulsion force.

18. The method according to claim 1 wherein the simulating comprises simulating an impatient crowd by dynamically modifying route selection in response to at least one environmental change.

19. The method according to claim 1 comprising simulating a movement of an autonomous agent in response to a desired attractor, while avoiding walls, obstacles and other autonomous agents while and trying to keep a previous direction of movement of the autonomous agent to avoid abrupt changes in its trajectory.

20. The method according to claim 1 comprising simulating a movement of an autonomous agent in response to forces representing a desired attractor, walls, obstacles, other autonomous agents, previous direction of movement and weights assigned to the forces;

wherein at least one weight is determined by at least one rule out of a psychological rule and a geometrical rule.

21. The method according to claim 1 wherein the simulating comprises receiving, by a high level behavior module, information about at least one of a bottleneck and a door change perceived by an autonomous agent;

deciding by the high level behavior module, a next attractor and send next attractor information to a low level behavior module.

22. A system for displaying behavior of a high density autonomous crowd in a environment on a display, the system comprising:

an analyzing module capable of simulating a behavior of a plurality of the autonomous agents of the high density autonomous crowd in a representation of the dynamic environment;

wherein the simulating is responsive to at least one characteristic of each autonomous agent of a plurality of autonomous agents of the high density autonomous crowd;

wherein at least one characteristic is selected from a group consisting of a physiological characteristic and a behavior characteristic; and

a hardware graphic processing module capable of displaying the plurality of autonomous agents in the dynamic environment.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the analyzing module is further capable of applying a parameterized social forces model for the simulating.

24. The system according to claim 22, wherein the analyzing module is further capable of performing at least one out of a high level behavior simulating and a low level behavior simulating.

25. The system according to claim 22 wherein at least one of the high level behavior and the low level behavior is driven by a psychological model.

26. The system according to claim 22 wherein the analyzing module is further capable of performing high level behavior simulation in response to a psychological state variable and an agent personality.

27. The system according to claim 22 wherein the analyzing module is further capable of accepting and responding to change in any of the variables.

28. The system according to claim 22 wherein the analyzing module is further capable of performing low level behavior simulation in response to a variable affected by changes in the psychological state.

29. The system according to claim 22 wherein the analyzing module is further capable of applying at least one stopping rule to forces that affect a movement of an autonomous agent.

30. The system according to claim 22 wherein the analyzing module is further capable of applying at least one stopping rule to forces that affect a movement of an autonomous agent by setting a period between consecutive simulated movements of the autonomous agent.

31. A system for simulating individual agents in a high density autonomous crowd, comprising:

a hardware graphic processing module enabling representation of simulation of individual agents in the high density autonomous crowd; and

an analyzing module capable of modeling motion of an autonomous agent in the high density autonomous crowd.