Video based method and system for automated side-by-side traffic load balancing

• US 9,361,690 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conduent Business Services, LLC (Conduent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bernal, Edgar A., Burry, Aaron Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEMIEUX, IAN L
• Application Number:
  US14/050,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20150098621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30236 Traffic on road, railway or crossing
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 11/00 Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/015 with provision for distinguishing between two or more types of vehicles, e.g. between motor-cars and cycles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/02 using treadles built into the road pads or other sensitive devices responsive to passage of vehicles E01F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/042 using inductive or magnetic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/065 by counting the vehicles in a section of the road or in a parking area, i.e. comparing incoming count with outgoing count
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and apparatus for side-by-side traffic location load balancing are disclosed. For example, the method receives one or more video images of a side-by-side traffic location, determines a number of cars in a first lane and a number of cars in a second lane of the side-by-side traffic location based upon the one or more video images, calculates a delta between the number of cars in the first lane and the number of cars in the second lane and recommends the first lane or the second lane based upon the delta and a respective weighting factor associated with the first lane and the second lane to provide a load balance of the cars at the side-by-side traffic location.

Claims

1. A method for side-by-side traffic location load balancing, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, one or more video images of a side-by-side traffic location;

determining, by the processor, a number of cars in a first lane and a number of cars in a second lane of the side-by-side traffic location based upon the one or more video images;

calculating, by the processor, a delta between the number of cars in the first lane and the number of cars in the second lane; and

recommending, by the processor, to an entering car on a broadcasting module at an entrance of the side-by-side traffic location the first lane or the second lane based upon the delta and a first weighting factor associated with the first lane and a second weighting factor associated with the second lane to provide a load balance of the cars at the side-by-side traffic location, wherein the broadcasting module displays a right arrow corresponding to the first lane or a left arrow corresponding to the second lane, wherein the first weighting factor and the second weighting factor are each a function of an order completion rate of one or more employees based on data that is collected regarding each one of the one or more employees over a period of time that a respective employee has been employed, a shift change, a day and a time, an expected number of cars during the day or the time, a type of vehicle and a vehicle occupancy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more video images are captured by a video camera monitoring the side-by-side traffic location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of cars in the first lane and the number of cars in the second lane are each calculated as a function of cars entering a respective lane, cars leaving the respective lane and cars entering a merge point.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the side-by-side traffic location comprises a drive-thru.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first weighting factor and the second weighting factor are determined over a sliding window.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommending is bounded by a maximum number of cars that the first lane or the second lane can hold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommending further comprises sending a signal to a user endpoint device instructing a customer which lane to enter.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for side-by-side traffic location load balancing, the operations comprising:

receiving one or more video images of a side-by-side traffic location;

determining a number of cars in a first lane and a number of cars in a second lane of the side-by-side traffic location based upon the one or more video images;

calculating a delta between the number of cars in the first lane and the number of cars in the second lane; and

recommending to an entering car on a broadcasting module at an entrance of the side-by-side traffic location the first lane or the second lane based upon the delta and a first weighting factor associated with the first lane and a second weighting factor associated with the second lane to provide a load balance of the cars at the side-by-side traffic location, wherein the broadcasting module displays a right arrow corresponding to the first lane or a left arrow corresponding to the second lane, wherein the first weighting factor and the second weighting factor are each a function of an order completion rate of one or more employees based on data that is collected regarding each one of the one or more employees over a period of time that a respective employee has been employed, a shift change, a day and a time, an expected number of cars during the day or the time, a type of vehicle and a vehicle occupancy.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more video images are captured by a video camera monitoring the side-by-side traffic location.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the number of cars in the first lane and the number of cars in the second lane are each calculated as a function of cars entering a respective lane, cars leaving the respective lane and cars entering a merge point.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the side-by-side traffic location comprises a drive-thru.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first weighting factor and the second weighting factor are determined over a sliding window.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the recommending is bounded by a maximum number of cars that the first lane or the second lane can hold.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the recommending further comprises sending a signal to a user endpoint device instructing a customer of the entering car which lane to enter.

15. A method for load balancing a drive-thru having a side-by-side configuration, comprising:

collecting, by a processor, data over a period of time that each employee has been employed, wherein the data is related to an order completion rate of the each employee working at the drive-thru, an order completion rate of each shift of a restaurant, and an average number of cars in each lane at various time periods over a day for each day of a week;

calculating, by the processor, a first weighting factor for a first lane and a second weighting factor for a second lane of the drive-thru based upon the data collected for a first employee currently working the first lane and a second employee currently working the second lane, a shift, a time of day, a type of vehicle and a vehicle occupancy;

receiving, by the processor, one or more video images of the drive-thru having the side-by-side configuration;

determining, by the processor, a number of cars in the first lane and a number of cars in the second lane of the drive-thru based upon the one or more video images;

calculating, by the processor, a delta between the number of cars in the first lane and the number of cars in the second lane; and

recommending, by the processor, to an entering car on a broadcasting module at an entrance of the side-by-side traffic location the first lane or the second lane based upon the delta and the first weighting factor associated with the first lane and the second weighting factor associated with the second lane to provide a load balance of the cars at the drive-thru, wherein the broadcasting module displays a right arrow corresponding to the first lane or a left arrow corresponding to the second lane.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the number of cars in the first lane and the number of cars in the second lane are each calculated as a function of cars entering a respective lane, cars leaving the respective lane and cars entering a merge point.