EMPLOYEE TASK VERIFICATION TO VIDEO SYSTEM

• US 20160307143A1
• Filed: 04/17/2015
• Published: 10/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Shreve, Matthew, Mongeon, Michael C., Loce, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 10,984,355 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31038 Watchdog, timer to alert if operator does not executes operation within time
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34045 Timer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/42257 Sampling time in fixed relation to timer interrupt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/40 in video content extracting overlay text G06V20/62; video retrieval G06F16/70; processing of video elementary streams in video servers H04N21/234; processing of video elementary streams in video clients H04N21/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera

Abstract

When monitoring a workspace to determine whether scheduled tasks or chores are completed according to a predetermined schedule, a video monitoring system monitors a region of interest (ROI) to identify employee-generated signals representing completion of a scheduled task. An employee makes a mark or gesture in the ROI monitored by the video monitoring system and the system analyzes pixels in each captured frame of the ROI to identify an employee signal, map the signal to a corresponding scheduled task, update the task as having been completed upon receipt of the employee signal, and alert a manager of the facility as to whether the task has been completed or not.

Claims

1. A method for verifying task completion via a video system, comprising:

monitoring via one or more video cameras a region of interest (ROI);

analyzing pixels in the ROI in video frames captured by the one or more video cameras whether an employee signal has been detected in the region of interest;

upon detection of an employee signal;

identifying a task corresponding to the detected employee signal;

updating a task schedule for the identified task to indicate completion of the task;

generating and transmitting a task completion alert message indicative of completion of the identified task.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, for each given scheduled task, initializing a timer upon onset of ROI monitoring.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising, for each given scheduled task, resetting the timer upon detection of an employee signal indicating completion of the task.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising generating and transmitting an incomplete task alert message upon a determination that an employee signal indicating completion of the task has not been received within a predetermined upper time limit for completing the task as determined by the timer.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the employee signal is a hand gesture performed by an employee while within the monitored ROI.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the employee signal is a symbol drawn by an employee on a surface within the monitored ROI.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the employee signal one of a sign and an image presented by an employee within the monitored ROI.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the analyzing is performed on a frame-by frame basis.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising counting a number of detected employee signals indicating completion of a given task, and generating and transmitting the task completion alert message upon detection of an Nth detected employee signal for the given task, where N is an integer greater than 1.

10. A video system that facilitates verifying task completion in a retail or service environment, comprising:

one or more video cameras that monitor a region of interest (ROI);

a processor configured to;

analyze pixels in the ROI in video frames captured by the one or more video cameras whether an employee signal has been detected in the region of interest; and

upon detection of an employee signal;

identify a task corresponding to the detected employee signal;

update a task schedule for the identified task to indicate completion of the task;

generate and transmit a task completion alert message indicative of completion of the identified task.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to, for each given scheduled task, initialize a timer upon onset of ROI monitoring.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to, for each given scheduled task, reset the timer upon detection of an employee signal indicating completion of the task.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to generate and transmit an incomplete task alert message upon a determination that an employee signal indicating completion of the task has not been received within a predetermined upper time limit for completing the task as determined by the timer.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the employee signal is a hand gesture performed by an employee while within the monitored ROI.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the employee signal is a symbol drawn by an employee on a surface within the monitored ROI.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the employee signal one of a sign and an image presented by an employee within the monitored ROI.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to analyze pixels in the ROI on a frame-by frame basis.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to count a number of detected employee signals indicating completion of a given task, and to generate and transmit the task completion alert message upon detection of an Nth detected employee signal for the given task, where N is an integer greater than 1.

19. A method of verifying task completion in a retail or service environment, comprising:

monitoring a scene with one or more video cameras;

defining a region of interest (ROI) within the scene for detecting employee signal events;

analyzing the ROI to detect employee signal events;

classifying a detected signal event as corresponding to a completed task;

updating a task completion schedule based on the classified signal event; and

generating transmitting a task completion alert message indicative of the completed task.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

for each given scheduled task;

initializing a timer upon onset of ROI monitoring;

resetting the timer upon detection of an employee signal indicating completion of the task.

generating and transmitting an incomplete task alert message upon a determination that an employee signal indicating completion of the task has not been received within a predetermined upper time limit for completing the task as determined by the timer.