Systems and Methods for Detecting Human-Object Interactions

• US 20170116446A1
• Filed: 10/21/2015
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Sample, Alanson, Li, Hanchuan
• Granted Patent: US 9,805,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements

Abstract

There are provided systems and methods for a user interaction with an object having a wireless tag with an antenna. An example system includes a memory storing a tag processing software, and a hardware processor executing the tag processing software to receive a signal from the wireless tag of the object via the antenna, the signal including a wireless tag identification (ID) uniquely identifying the wireless tag, identify the object using the wireless tag ID, extract one or more communication channel parameters from the signal, determine the user interaction with the object based on the one or more communication channel parameters extracted from the signal.

Claims

1. A system for determining a type of a plurality of types of user interactions with an object having a wireless tag with an antenna, the plurality of types of user interactions including a first type and a second type, the system comprising:

a memory storing a tag processing software; and

a hardware processor executing the tag processing software to;

receive a signal from the wireless tag of the object via the antenna, the signal including a wireless tag identification (ID) uniquely identifying the wireless tag;

identify the object using the wireless tag ID;

extract one or more communication channel parameters from the signal; and

determine, based on analyzing the one or more communication channel parameters extracted from the signal, that the type of a first user interaction with the object is the first type.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the object further comprises a second wireless tag with a second antenna, and the processor is further configured to:

receive a second signal from the second wireless tag of the object via the second antenna, the second signal including a second wireless tag ID uniquely identifying the second wireless tag;

extract one or more second communication channel parameters from the second signal; and

determine, based on analyzing the one or more second communication channel parameters extracted from the second signal, that the type of a second user interaction with the object is the second type.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more communication channel parameters includes at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the signal, an RF phase of the signal, a Doppler shift of the signal, and a read rate of the signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of user interactions include a motion event and a touch event, wherein the touch event includes covering the antenna of the wireless tag.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the motion event includes one of a translation of the object and a rotation of the object.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the touch event includes one of a swipe-touch and a cover-touch of the antenna of the wireless tag.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the object is one of a household item, a toy, and a retail merchandise.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the object is a retail merchandise in a retail environment, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine an action of a shopper in the retail environment based on the signal; and

modify a pricing or an advertisement in the retail environment, in response to the action.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal includes an input for an interactive media device, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit an input signal to the interactive media device based on the signal.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal includes an input for an environmental control, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit an input signal to the environmental control based on the signal.

11. A method of determining a type of a plurality of types of user interactions with an object having a wireless tag with an antenna, the plurality of types of user interactions including a first type and a second type, the method using a system having a memory storing a tag processing software and a processor executing the tag processing software, the method comprising:

receiving, using the processor, a signal from a wireless tag of the object via the antenna, the signal including a wireless tag identification (ID) uniquely identifying the wireless tag;

identifying, using the processor, the object using the wireless tag ID;

extracting, using the processor, one or more communication channel parameters from the signal; and

determining, using the processor, based on analyzing the one or more communication channel parameters extracted from the signal, that the type of a first user interaction with the object is the first type.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the object further comprises a second wireless tag, the method further comprising:

receiving, using the processor, a second signal from the second wireless tag of the object, the second signal including a second wireless tag ID uniquely identifying the second wireless tag;

extract second one or more communication channel parameters from the second signal; and

determining, using the processor, based on analyzing the one or more second communication channel parameters extracted from the second signal, that the type of a second user interaction with the object is the second type.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more communication channel parameters includes at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the signal, an RF phase of the signal, a Doppler shift of the signal, and a read rate of the signal.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of types of user interactions include a motion event and a touch event, wherein the touch event includes covering the antenna of the wireless tag.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the motion event includes one of a translation of the object and a rotation of the object.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the touch event includes one of a swipe-touch and a cover-touch of the antenna of the wireless tag.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the object is one of a household item, a toy, and a retail merchandise.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the object is a retail merchandise in a retail environment, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining an action of a shopper in the retail environment based on the signal; and

modifying a pricing or an advertisement in the retail environment, in response to the action.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the signal includes an input for an interactive media device, and wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting an input signal to the interactive media device based on the signal.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the first signal includes an input for an environmental control, and wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting an input signal to the environmental control based on the signal.