Systems and methods for detecting human-object interactions

• US 9,805,232 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2015
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, QUANG
• Application Number:
  US14/919,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20170116446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 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 an interaction of a user with an object based on a state of the object having a wireless tag with an antenna for reading by a wireless tag reader, the system comprising:

a memory storing a tag processing software; and

a hardware processor executing the tag processing software to;

receive, from the wireless tag reader over a period of time, a plurality of signals from the wireless tag of the object via the antenna, each signal of the plurality of signals being for a successful read of the wireless tag, each signal of the plurality of signals including a wireless tag identification (ID) uniquely identifying the wireless tag;

identify the object using the wireless tag ID;

determine, over the period of time, wireless channel parameters based on the plurality of signals, the wireless channel parameters including a signal strength indicator (RSSI) of each signal of the plurality of signals, a read rate of the plurality of signals, and an RF phase of each signal of the plurality of signals;

classify, based on analyzing the RSSI of the plurality of signals, the read rate of the plurality of signals, and the RF phase of the plurality of signals over the period of time, the state of the object as one of still, moving, and rotating; and

determine the user interaction with the object based on the state of the object, the user interaction including keeping the object still, moving the object, rotating the object, and covering the object;

wherein the read rate corresponds to a number of successful reads of the wireless tag over the period of time; and

wherein the covering of the object is determined based on the read rate of the wireless tag over the period of time being less than a predetermined number over the period of time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor executes the tag processing software to further classify, based on analyzing the RSSI, the read rate and the RF phase, the state of the object as one of still, moving, rotating and being swipe touched.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor executes the tag processing software to further:

determine a Doppler shift of each signal of the plurality of signals over the period of time; and

classify, based on analyzing the RSSI, the RF phase, the Doppler shift and the read rate, the state of the object as one of still, moving, rotating, being swipe touched, quick motion and being cover-touched.

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

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

determine the interaction of the shopper in the retail environment based on the plurality of signals; and

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

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

transmit the input signal to the interactive media device based on the user interaction.

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

transmit the input signal to the environmental control based on the user interaction.

8. A method of determining an interaction of a user with an object based on a state of the object having a wireless tag with an antenna for reading by a wireless tag reader, 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, from the wireless tag reader over a period of time using the processor, a plurality of signals from the wireless tag of the object via the antenna, each signal of the plurality of signals being for a successful read of the wireless tag, each signal of the plurality of signals including a wireless tag identification (ID) uniquely identifying the wireless tag;

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

determining, using the processor and over the period of time, wireless channel parameters based on the plurality of signals, the wireless channel parameters including a signal strength indicator (RSSI) of each signal of the plurality of signals, a read rate of the plurality of signals, and an RF phase of each signal of the plurality of signals;

classifying, using the processor, based on analyzing the RSSI of the plurality of signals, the read rate of the plurality of signals, and the RF phase of the plurality of signals over the period of time, the state of the object as one of still, moving, and rotating; and

determine, using the processor, the user interaction with the object based on the state of the object, the user interaction including keeping the object still, moving the object, rotating the object, and covering the object;

wherein the read rate corresponds to a number of successful reads of the wireless tag over the period of time; and

wherein the covering of the object is determined based on the read rate of the wireless tag over the period of time being less than a predetermined number over the period of time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the classifying classifies, based on analyzing the RSSI, the read rate and the RF phase, the state of the object as one of still, moving, rotating and being swipe touched.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determine a Doppler shift of each signal of the plurality of signals over the period of time, wherein the classifying classifies, based on analyzing the RSSI, the RF phase, the Doppler shift and the read rate, the state of the object as one of still, moving, rotating, being swipe touched, quick motion and being cover-touched.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the object is one of a household item, a toy, and a retail merchandise.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the object is a retail merchandise and the user is a shopper in a retail environment, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining the interaction of the shopper in the retail environment based on the plurality of signals; and

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

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the user interaction includes an input signal for an interactive media device, and wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting, by the processor, the input signal to the interactive media device based on the user interaction.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the user interaction includes an input signal for an environmental control, and wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting, by the processor, the input signal to the environmental control based on the user interaction.