Method and apparatus for detecting movement patterns at a self-service checkout terminal
AssigneeNCR Corporation
InventorsRalph N. Crabtree, Jianzhong Huang, Junhoy Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for detecting hand and item movement patterns comprising a video camera positioned to view a scene which includes therein a scanner for scanning items, wherein the video camera generates a sequence of video frames representing activity in the scene, processing means coupled to the video camera, the processing means performing steps of identifying regions of a video frame representing a hand; and tracking hand movement with respect to the scanner over a plurality of video frames. Event information descriptive of user activity at the self-service checkout terminal is generated based on the tracking information.
Claims21
A system for detecting movement patterns with respect to at least one hand of an individual and an item in the individual's hand to be purchased at a checkout terminal, comprising:
- (a) a video camera positioned to view a scene which includes therein a scanner for scanning items;
- (b) frame grabber means coupled to the video camera for generating a stream of video frames representing activity in the scene;
- (c) processor means coupled to the frame grabber means, the processor means performing steps of:
- (1) detecting whether the hand in a video frame;
- (2) tracking hand movement with respect to the scanner over a plurality of video frames and generating tracking information representative thereof including associated X and Y Cartesian coordinates for the location of the hand and the height and width of the hand;
- (3) eliminating tracking information corresponding to the detected hand;
- (4) determining the presence of the item to be purchased in the detected hand;
- and
- (5) generating event information descriptive of user activity at the checkout terminal based on the tracking information.
A method for detecting movement patterns with respect to at least one hand of an individual and an item in the individual's hand to be purchased in a scene of activity at a checkout terminal having a scanner, based on a sequence of video frames representing activity in the scene, comprising steps of:
- (a) detecting whether the hand in a video frame;
- (b) tracking hand movement with respect to the scanner over a plurality of video frames and generating tracking information representative thereof including associated X and Y Cartesian coordinates for the location of the hand and the height and width of the hand;
- (c) eliminating tracking information corresponding to the detected hand;
- (d) determining the presence of the item to be purchased in the detected hand;
- and
- (e) generating event information descriptive of user activity at the checkout terminal based on the tracking information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.