Devices, apparatus, and articles of manufacturing to monitor environments

• US 9,739,599 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2016
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Venugopal, Soundararajan, Padmanabhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIN, SOO JUNG
• Application Number:
  US15/061,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20160187123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/22 for measuring depth
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10028 Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/248 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/50 Depth or shape recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to monitor environments are disclosed. An example method includes analyzing a first depth value corresponding to a coordinate of an object of an image captured by a depth sensor, the first depth value having been captured with the depth sensor positioned at a first angle relative to a reference axis; moving the depth sensor to a second angle relative to the reference axis, the second angle being different than the first angle; triggering capture of a second depth value at the coordinate with the depth sensor positioned at the second angle; and calculating a depth gradient for the coordinate based on the first and second depth values.

Claims

1. An audience measurement device, comprising:

a depth sensor; and

a depth analyzer, including at least one of a processor or hardware, to;

analyze a first depth value corresponding to a coordinate of an object of an image captured by the depth sensor, the first depth value having been captured with the depth sensor positioned at a first angle relative to a reference axis;

initiate the depth sensor to move to a second angle relative to the reference axis, the second angle being different than the first angle;

trigger capture of a second depth value at the coordinate with the depth sensor positioned at the second angle; and

calculate a depth gradient for the coordinate based on the first depth value, the second depth value, and a difference between the first angle and the second angle.

2. The audience measurement device of claim 1, further including:

a body tracker to confirm detection of a person at the coordinate when the depth gradient satisfies a threshold, the body tracker including at least one of a processor or hardware.

3. The audience measurement device of claim 1, wherein the depth sensor is to utilize a projected dot array, and a first dot of the dot array corresponds to the coordinate.

4. The audience measurement device of claim 1, wherein the depth analyzer is to cause the depth sensor to move to the second angle in response to detecting movement at the coordinate.

5. The audience measurement device of claim 1, wherein the depth analyzer is further to:

initiate the depth sensor to move to a third angle relative to the reference axis, the third angle being different than the first and second angles;

trigger capture of a third depth value at the coordinate with the depth sensor positioned at the third angle; and

further calculate the depth gradient based on the third depth value.

6. The audience measurement device of claim 1, wherein the depth analyzer is to cause the depth sensor to move to the second angle based on a comparison of the first depth value and a threshold.

7. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

analyze a first depth value corresponding to a coordinate of an object of an image captured by a depth sensor, the first depth value having been captured with the depth sensor positioned at a first angle relative to a reference axis;

cause the depth sensor to move to a second angle relative to the reference axis, the second angle being different than the first angle;

trigger capture of a second depth value at the coordinate with the depth sensor positioned at the second angle; and

calculate a depth gradient for the coordinate based on the first depth value, the second depth value, and a difference between the first angle and the second angle.

8. The storage medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to cause the depth sensor to move to the second angle based on a comparison of the first depth value and a threshold.

9. The storage medium as defined in claim 8, wherein a value of the threshold depends on whether the object, a movement, or a gesture is being analyzed.

10. The storage medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to cause the depth sensor to move to the second angle in response to detecting movement at the coordinate.

11. The storage medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the machine is to cause the depth sensor to move to the second angle by actuating a tilt motor coupled to a housing of the depth sensor.

12. The storage medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to cause trigger capture of a third depth value at the coordinate with the depth sensor positioned at a third angle relative to the reference axis, the third angle being different than the first and second angles.

13. The storage medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to calculate the depth gradient based on the third depth value.

14. The storage medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the reference axis is a horizontal axis extending away from the depth sensor.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a depth sensor to collect images of an environment, the depth sensor having a housing;

means for tilting the housing of the depth sensor to a first angle relative to a reference axis;

means for determining a first depth value associated with a coordinate of a first image collected with the housing tilted at the first angle relative to the reference axis;

means for tilting the housing to a second angle relative to the reference axis, the second angle being different from the first angle;

means for determining a second depth value associated with the coordinate in a second image collected by the depth sensor with the housing tilted at the second angle; and

means for calculating a depth gradient for the coordinate based on the first depth value, the second depth value, and a difference between the first angle and the second angle.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for tilting the housing to the second angle further determines to move to the second angle based on a comparison of the first depth value and a threshold.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a value of the threshold depends on whether the object, a movement, or a gesture is being analyzed.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for tilting the housing to the second angle further tilts the depth sensor to the second angle in response to detecting movement at the coordinate.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the difference between the first angle and the second angle is a first number of degrees.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the depth sensor has a means for projecting a dot array, and a first dot of the dot array corresponds to the coordinate.