Methods and apparatus for multimodal audience detection and identification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11668808-B2
Application number	US-201916554376-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2019
Priority date	Aug 28, 2019
Publication date	Jun 6, 2023
Grant date	Jun 6, 2023

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for multimodal audience detection and identification. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a signal strength value selector to select a portion of a set of signal strength values associated with advertising packets from a device associated with a user, the advertising packets captured by a multi-axis receiver on a plurality of different signal polarizations, a signal strength calculator to calculate a first representative signal strength value based on the selected portion of signal strength values, and a presence determiner to determine a presence of the user based on whether the first representative signal strength value satisfies a threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A proximity detection apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
a signal strength value selector to select a portion of a set of signal strength values associated with advertising packets from a device associated with a user, the advertising packets captured by a multi-axis receiver on a plurality of different signal polarizations, the multi-axis receiver to capture first ones of the advertising packets along a first axis polarity, second ones of the advertising packets along a second axis polarity transverse relative to the first axis polarity, and third ones of the advertising packets along a third axis polarity, the third axis polarity is transverse relative to the first axis polarity and the second axis polarity;
a signal strength calculator to calculate a first representative signal strength value based on the selected portion of signal strength values; and
a presence determiner to determine a presence of the user based on whether the first representative signal strength value satisfies a threshold.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the set of signal strength values includes signal strength values from one or more advertising channels and the plurality of different signal polarizations.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the presence determiner is further to determine demographics associated with the user based on the advertising packets, and further including a presence report generator to generate a report to indicate whether the presence of the user was detected.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the presence is a first presence, and further including:
a presence detector to detect a second presence of the user based on a radar reading; and
a correlator to:
correlate the first presence and the second presence, the correlation associating the demographics of the user with the second presence; and
track the user via the second presence.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the presence report generator is to transmit the report to a media meter, the media meter to conduct media monitoring based on the report.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including:
an auxiliary device interface to receive a second representative signal strength value from an auxiliary device; and
the presence determiner to determine the presence based on the second representative signal strength value.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the advertising packets are Bluetooth advertising packets and the signal strength values are received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the multi-axis receiver includes a first receiver configured to capture the first ones of the advertising packets along the first axis polarity, a second receiver configured to capture the second ones of the advertising packets along the second axis polarity, and a third receiver configured to capture the third ones of the advertising packets along a third axis polarity.

9. A method comprising:
selecting, via at least one processor, a portion of a set of signal strength values associated with advertising packets from a device associated with a user, the advertising packets captured by a multi-axis receiver on a plurality of different signal polarizations, the multi-axis receiver to capture first ones of the advertising packets along a first axis polarity, second ones of the advertising packets along a second axis polarity transverse relative to the first axis polarity, and third ones of the advertising packets along a third axis polarity, the third axis polarity is transverse relative to the first axis polarity and the second axis polarity;
calculating, via at least one processor, a first representative signal strength value based on the selected portion of signal strength values; and
determining, via at least one processor, a presence of the user based on whether the first representative signal strength value satisfies a threshold.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the set of signal strength values includes signal strength values from one or more advertising channels and the plurality of different signal polarizations.

11. The method of claim 9 , further including determining demographics associated with the user based on the advertising packets, and further including a presence report generator to generate a report to indicate whether the presence of the user was detected.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the presence is a first presence, and further including:
detecting a second presence of the user based on a radar reading; and
correlating the first presence and the second presence, the correlation associating the demographics of the user with the second presence; and
tracking the user via the second presence.

13. The method of claim 11 , further including transmitting the report to a media meter, the media meter to conduct media monitoring based on the report.

14. The method of claim 9 , further including:
receiving a second representative signal strength value from an auxiliary device; and
determining the presence based on the second representative signal strength value.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the advertising packets are Bluetooth advertising packets and the signal strength values are received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to at least:
select a portion of a set of signal strength values associated with advertising packets from a device associated with a user, the advertising packets captured by a multi-axis receiver on a plurality of different signal polarizations, the multi-axis receiver to capture first ones of the advertising packets along a first axis polarity, second ones of the advertising packets along a second axis polarity transverse relative to the first axis polarity, and third ones of the advertising packets along a third axis polarity, the third axis polarity is transverse relative to the first axis polarity and the second axis polarity;
calculate a first representative signal strength value based on the selected portion of signal strength values; and
determine a presence of the user based on whether the first representative signal strength value satisfies a threshold.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the set of signal strength values includes signal strength values from one or more advertising channels and the plurality of different signal polarizations.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine demographics associated with the user based on the advertising packets, and further including a presence report generator to generate a report to indicate whether the presence of the user was detected.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the presence is a first presence, and the instructions further cause the processor to:
detect a second presence of the user based on a radar reading; and
correlate the first presence and the second presence, the correlation associating the demographics of the user with the second presence; and
track the user via the second presence.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to transmit the report to a media meter, the media meter to conduct media monitoring based on the report.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wh

Assignees

• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

• Usaj Marko
• Barbis Andrej
• Arh Joze
• Stavropoulos John

Classifications

• G01S11/06

  using intensity measurements · CPC title

• G01S5/14

  Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location · CPC title

• G01S7/412

  based on a comparison between measured values and known or stored values · CPC title

• H04N21/44218

  Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV programme (methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45) · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title