Methods and apparatus to count people

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11558665-B2
Application number	US-202217716775-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2022
Priority date	Mar 2, 2015
Publication date	Jan 17, 2023
Grant date	Jan 17, 2023

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to count people are disclosed. Example apparatus disclosed herein are to populate a list with first characteristic datasets obtained from a first plurality of images, respective ones of the first characteristic datasets representative of corresponding faces. Disclosed apparatus are also to perform comparisons of the first characteristic datasets to each other to determine a first number of unique faces, the comparisons limited to the first characteristic datasets obtained during the first period of time. Disclosed apparatus are further to delete the first characteristic datasets from the list after the first period of time has ended, and re-populate the list with second characteristic datasets obtained from a second plurality of images representative of the environment during a second period of time of the media presentation, the second period of time subsequent to the first period of time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one memory;
instructions; and
processor circuitry to execute the instructions to at least:
populate a list with first characteristic datasets obtained from a first plurality of images representative of an environment during a first period of time of a media presentation, respective ones of the first characteristic datasets representative of corresponding faces detected in the environment during the first period of time;
limit a number of the first characteristic datasets stored in the list for a first location represented in the first plurality of images;
perform comparisons of the first characteristic datasets to each other to determine a first number of unique faces in the environment during the first period of time, the comparisons limited to the first characteristic datasets obtained during the first period of time;
delete the first characteristic datasets from the list after the first period of time has ended; and
re-populate the list with second characteristic datasets obtained from a second plurality of images representative of the environment during a second period of time of the media presentation, the second period of time subsequent to the first period of time.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is not to query a facial recognition database to determine the first number of unique faces in the environment.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the comparisons are first comparisons, and the processor circuitry is to:
perform second comparisons of the second characteristic datasets to each other to determine a second number of unique faces in the environment during the second period of time; and
limit the second comparisons to the second characteristic datasets obtained during the second period of time.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to:
compare the first characteristic datasets to each other after the first period of time has ended; and
delete the first characteristic datasets from the list after the first period of time has ended.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to obtain media identifying information during the first period of time.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor circuitry is to generate a data package including the media identifying information detected during the first period of time and the first number of unique faces determined to be in the environment during the first period of time.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to detect faces in the first image data, the first characteristic datasets being obtained from locations of the faces in the first image data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to obtain the first and second characteristic datasets, the first and second characteristic datasets including facial feature vectors.

9. A people counting apparatus comprising:
at least one memory;
instructions; and
processor circuitry to execute the instructions to at least:
calculate a degree of similarity between a first characteristic dataset representative of a first face detection in a first image at a first image location and a second characteristic dataset representative of a second face detection in a second image at the first image location, the first and second images included in a plurality of images representative of an environment during a first period of time of a media presentation;
store the first characteristic dataset and the second characteristic dataset in a plurality of characteristic datasets associated with the first period of time in response to the degree of similarity not satisfying a threshold;
store the first characteristic dataset in the plurality of characteristic datasets and discard the second characteristic dataset in response the degree of similarity satisfying the threshold to limit a number of stored characteristic datasets associated with the first image location; and
compare the plurality of characteristic datasets to each other to determine a number of unique faces in the environment during the first period of time.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processor circuitry is to calculate a distance between a first facial feature vector of the first characteristic dataset and a second facial feature vector of the second characteristic dataset to determine the degree of similarity between the first characteristic dataset and the second characteristic dataset, the first characteristic dataset includes a first set of facial feature vectors including the first facial feature vector, and the second characteristic dataset includes a second set of facial feature vectors including the second facial feature vector.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first facial feature vector includes a distance and a direction for a space between two facial features associated with the first face detection, and the second facial feature vector includes a distance and a direction for a space between two facial features associated with the second face detection.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processor circuitry is to specify a maximum value for the number of stored characteristic datasets associated with the first image location.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the degree of similarity is a first degree of similarity, and when the first characteristic dataset and the second characteristic dataset are stored in the plurality of characteristic datasets, the processor circuitry is to:
calculate a second degree of similarity between the first characteristic dataset and a third characteristic dataset representative of a third face detection in a third image at the first location; and
calculate a third degree of similarity between the second characteristic dataset and the third characteristic dataset.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the processor circuitry is to:
store the first characteristic dataset, the second characteristic dataset and the third characteristic dataset in the plurality of characteristic datasets in response to the first degree of similarity, the second degree of similarity and the third degree of similarity not satisfying the threshold and the number of stored characteristic datasets associated with the first image location not exceeding the maximum value; and
store two of the least similar of first characteristic dataset, the second characteristic dataset and the third characteristic dataset and discard the other of the first characteristic dataset, the second characteristic dataset and the third characteristic dataset in response to the first degree of similarity, the second degree of similarity and the third degree of similarity not satisfying the threshold and the number of stored characteristic datasets associated with the first image location exceeding the maximum value.

15. A people counting apparatus comprising:
at least one memory;
instructions; and
processor circuitry to execute the instructions to at least:
calculate a degree of similarity between a first characteristic dataset associated with a first image and a second characteristic dataset associated with a second image, the first image and the second image included in a plurality of images representative of an environment during a first period of time of a media presentation;
store the first characteristic dataset in a plurality of characteristic datasets and discard the second characteristic dataset in response to the degree of similarity satisfying a threshold; and
compare the plurality of characteristic datasets to

Assignees

• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

• Soundararajan Padmanabhan
• Usaj Marko
• Srinivasan Venugopal

Classifications

• G06F16/5838

  using colour · CPC title

• H04H60/45

  for identifying users · CPC title

• G06V20/53

  Recognition of crowd images, e.g. recognition of crowd congestion · CPC title

• G09B5/02

  with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip · CPC title

• H04N21/25891

  being end-user preferences (retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18) · CPC title