Managing multi-user access to controlled locations in a facility

• US 9,300,925 B1
• Filed: 05/04/2015
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jack K.E. Zhang
• Original Assignee: Jack K.E. Zhang
• Inventors: Zhang, Jack Ke
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Heather
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haque, Md
• Application Number:
  US14/703,291
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/7865 using correlation of the live video image with a stored image
• 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 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A method or system for multi-user access of a facility including multiple controlled locations is disclosed. In one step, an image of a person is obtained from a data store. An image capture device is correlated to a controlled location. An image is received for the controlled location. One or more sub-images of the image are determined. At least one of the sub-images is compared with the image of the person. Information is retrieved for the person and a control rule is retrieved for the controlled location. The system determines whether the person is allowed to access the controlled location. Depending on the determination, the system then sends a signal indicating access availability to the controlled location for the person.

Claims

1. A multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices, the multi-user access system comprising:

a data store, comprising;

a first image of a first person, and

a second image of a second person;

an image capture device, wherein;

the image capture device corresponds to a controlled location of the facility; and

the image capture device transmits an image for the controlled location, wherein the image records a plurality of people;

an image processor engine that;

determines a plurality of sub-images corresponding to the plurality of people in the image, wherein the plurality of sub-images includes a first sub-image and a second sub-image, wherein the first sub-image corresponds to the first person, and wherein the second sub-image corresponds to the second person;

compares the first sub-image to the first image of the first person;

compares the second sub-image to the second image of the second person;

determines, using a machine image processing algorithm, that the first sub-image matches the first image of the first person; and

determines, using the machine image processing algorithm, that the second sub-image matches the second image of the second person;

a user-access engine that;

retrieves first information for the first person;

retrieves second information for the second person;

retrieves a control rule for the controlled location, wherein the control rule triggers an access condition for the first and second persons only when the first and second persons appear in the image together;

determines that the first and second persons are allowed to access the controlled location, based on the first information, the second information and the control rule;

and sends a signal indicating access availability to the controlled location for the first and second persons.

2. The multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 1, the multi-user access system further comprising:

a scheduling engine that;

retrieves a first schedule for the first person;

retrieves a second schedule for the controlled location;

determines whether the first person is allowed to access the controlled location, wherein the determining is a function of the first schedule and the second schedule.

3. The multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 1, the multi-user access system further comprising:

a tracking engine that;

obtains a plurality of images that individually record a number of people;

determines a number of sub-images from the plurality of images;

compares the number of sub-images to the first image of the first person;

determines that the first image of the first person matches a subset of the number of sub-images; and

calculates a potential location for the first person based on the matching subset of sub-images.

4. The multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 3, wherein the tracking engine further:

calculates a first confidence score that indicates that the first person is recorded in a first sub-image;

calculates a second confidence score that indicates that the first person is recorded in a second sub-image;

determines that the first person is recorded in the first sub-image as a function of the first confidence score and the second confidence score.

5. The multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 4, wherein the signal sent indicating access availability to the controlled location restricts access to the controlled location based on the determination that the first person is recorded in the first sub-image.

6. The multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 3, wherein the tracking engine further:

receives, from a wrist-worn electronic device in real time, information of the first person indicating a location of the first person;

associates the information of the first person indicating the location of the first person with the image for the controlled location of the facility; and

stores the information of the first person indicating the location of the first person, the image for the controlled location of the facility, and the association.

7. The multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 1, wherein the first information for the first person includes at least one of a controlled location that the first person is allowed to access, a controlled location that the first person is restricted from accessing, one or more people that the user is allowed to escort to a controlled location that the first person is allowed to access, and one or more people to which the first person is restricted from having access.

8. A method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices, the method comprising:

obtaining a two-dimensional image of a first person from a data store;

obtaining a two-dimensional image of a second person from a data store;

correlating an image capture device with a controlled location;

receiving, from an image capture device, an image for the controlled location of the facility, the image recording one or more people;

determining one or more sub-images corresponding to the one or more people in the image, wherein a first sub-image corresponds to the first person and a second sub-image corresponds to the second person;

comparing at least one of the one or more sub-images to the two-dimensional image of the first person and the two-dimensional image of the second person;

determining, using a machine image processing algorithm, that the first person and second person appear together in the image for the controlled location of the facility;

retrieving information for the first person;

retrieving information for the second person;

retrieving a control rule for the controlled location, wherein the control rule triggers an access condition for the first and second persons only when the first and second persons appear in the image together;

determining that the first person and the second person are allowed to access the controlled location, based on the information for the first person, the information for the second person, the control rule, and the determination that the first person and the second person appear together in the image; and

based upon the immediately preceding determining, sending a signal indicating access availability to the controlled location for the first person and the second person.

9. The method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 8, the method further comprising:

obtaining a two-dimensional image of an additional person;

comparing at least one of the one or more sub-images to the two-dimensional image of the additional person;

determining, using a machine image processing algorithm, that the one or more people match the two-dimensional image of the additional person;

retrieving information for the additional person;

determining whether the additional person is allowed to access the controlled location, wherein the determining is a function of the information for the additional person and the control rule; and

based upon the immediately preceding determining, sending a signal indicating access availability to the controlled location for the additional person.

10. The method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 8, wherein the signal indicating access availability causes at least one of an elevator to be called, a door to be opened, a door to remain closed, an alarm to occur, or a notification to be sent.

11. The method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 8, the method further comprising:

generating tracking information of the first person, wherein generating the tracking information comprises;

receiving a plurality of additional images for the facility;

determining a plurality of sub-images of the plurality of additional images for the facility;

comparing at least one of the plurality of sub-images to the two-dimensional image of the person; and

determining, using a machine image processing algorithm, the at least one of the plurality of sub-images include the person based on the comparison.

12. The method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 11, the method further comprising storing the tracking information of the first person.

13. The method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 11, the method further comprising:

receiving, from a Bluetooth beaconing device, location information of the first person; and

calculating a potential location for the first person, wherein the potential location is calculated using the tracking information and the location information from the Bluetooth beaconing device.

14. The method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 11, the method further comprising:

receiving, from a wrist-worn electronic device, location information of the first person; and

calculating a potential location for the first person, wherein the potential location is calculated using the tracking information and the location information from the Bluetooth beaconing device.

15. A method for managing multi-user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices, the method comprising:

obtaining a first image of a first person from a data store;

obtaining a second image of a second person from the data store;

correlating an image capture device with a controlled location;

receiving, from the image capture device, an image for the controlled location of the facility, the image recording a plurality of people;

determining a plurality of sub-images corresponding to the plurality of people in the image, wherein the plurality of sub-images includes a first sub-image and a second sub-image, wherein the first sub-image corresponds to the first person and the second sub-image corresponds to the second person;

comparing the first sub-image to the first image of the first person;

comparing the second sub-image to the second image of the second person;

determining, using a machine image processing algorithm, that the first sub-image matches the first image of the first person;

determining, using the machine image processing algorithm, that the second sub-image matches the second image of the second person;

retrieving first information for the first person;

retrieving second information for the second person;

retrieving a control rule for the controlled location, wherein the control rule triggers an access condition for the first and second persons only when the first and second persons appear in the image together;

determines that the first and second persons are allowed to access the controlled location, based on the first information, the second information and the control rule; and

based upon the immediately preceding determining, sending a signal indicating access availability to the controlled location for the first and second persons.

16. The method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 15, the method further comprising:

receiving, from the image capture device, an additional image for an additional controlled location of the facility, the additional image recording an additional plurality of people and recorded at substantially a same time as the image;

determining an additional plurality of sub-images corresponding to the additional plurality of people in the additional image, wherein the additional plurality of sub-images includes a sub-image;

comparing the sub-image to the first image of the first person;

calculating, using a machine image processing algorithm, a confidence score that indicates that the sub-image matches the additional image of the first person;

determining that the first person is in the additional image and that the first person is absent from the image based on the confidence score.

17. The method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 16, the method further comprising sending a notification based on the determination that the first person is in the additional image and that the first person is absent from the image.

18. The method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 15, the method further comprising:

retrieving a first schedule for the first person;

retrieving a second schedule for the second person, wherein sending the signal is first based on the first schedule and the second schedule.

19. The method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 15, the method further comprising:

determining a first location for the first person;

determining a second location for the second person;

determining a distance between the first location and the second location; and

sending a notification to a remote computing device based on the determined distance.

20. The method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of claim 15, the method further comprising:

determining that the first person is designated as an escort for the second person;

determining that the first person is allowed access to the controlled location;

determining that the second person is restricted from having access to the controlled location; and

allowing access to the controlled location based on the determination that the first person is designated as the escort for the second person and the determination that the first person is allowed access to the controlled location.