Method for monitoring the exploitation process of an apparatus and self-service device monitored according to said method

• US 6,694,058 B1
• Filed: 08/11/2000
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wincor Nixdorf GmbH & Company (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wincor Nixdorf GmbH & Company (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Inventors: Burchart, Joachim, Tewes, Udo, Voss, Hans Günter
• Primary Examiner(s): MARIAM, DANIEL G
• Application Number:
  US09/622,193
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/115-116, 382/209, 382/217-219, 235/379, 340/426.2, 345/863, 348/150, 348/156, 348/161, 705/35, 705/43, 705/44, 902/4, 902/8, 902/25
• US Class Current: 382/209
• 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: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/207 Surveillance aspects at ATMs

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for monitoring an equipment operation procedure and to a self-service device monitored using this method. An optical pattern recognition method is used to detect the hand posture which is characteristic of an equipment operation procedure alone or else together with an object to be handled when using equipment, and to compare said hand posture with a prescribed pattern.

Claims

1. A self-service device the operation of which is monitored using an optical pattern recognition method that detects hand posture characteristic of a particular operation procedure and compares the hand posture with a prescribed pattern the response of the self-service device being governed by the results of the comparison, the self-service device comprising;

an electronic camera and a data processing unit which processes image information and stores image patterns, and which contains a comparator which is used to compare an image information item supplied by the camera with a stored image pattern and produces a signal influencing the further response of the equipment on the basis of the comparison result, the patterns stored in the data processing unit correspond to hand posture which is characteristic of a first or else of at least one further equipment operation procedure alone or else together with an object to be handled when using the equipment, in that the data processing unit the position of a hand assuming the hand posture which is characteristic of the respective equipment operation procedure alone or else together with the object to be handled when using equipment, and in that the comparator compares a movement sequence for the hand, recorded by the camera, with the stored hand position.

2. The self-service device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the camera, an illumination device and a video projector are arranged in a headpiece closing off an operating area at the top.

3. The self-service device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the operating area is bounded at the bottom by a plate comprising a projection surface.