Systems and methods for touchless temperature screening

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12569146-B2
Application number	US-202117505388-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2021
Priority date	Oct 19, 2020
Publication date	Mar 10, 2026
Grant date	Mar 10, 2026

Abstract

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to screening a body temperature of a human. In some embodiments, there is provided a touchless temperature screening system that screens a body temperature of a human including a housing comprising an output interface; one or more first sensors; a temperature sensor; and a control circuit configured to: cause the output interface to provide one or more messages; receive the one or more user inputs indicative of responses to at least one of the one or more messages; receive temperature data corresponding to the body temperature; determine whether the human meets a health criteria; and transmit a control signal indicative of the human meeting the health criteria in response to the human meeting the health criteria.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A touchless temperature screening system comprising:
a housing comprising an output interface configured to provide one or more messages to a human, wherein the human comprises one of an employee of a retail entity, an employee of a vendor of the retail entity, and a visitor seeking access to a facility of the retail entity; a plurality of sensors coupled to the housing, wherein:
at least a first sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to capture identification information associated with the human;
at least a second sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to receive one or more user inputs from the human without direct physical contact from a hand or a finger of the human and without direct physical contact from an extension of, a shield for, or a covering of the hand or the finger of the human; and
at least a third sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to detect a body temperature of the human without direct physical contact from any portion of the human and without direct physical contact from an extension of, a shield for, a covering of, or the any portion of the human; and
a control circuit coupled to the output interface and the plurality of sensors, wherein the control circuit is configured to:
cause the output interface to provide a first message of the one or more messages, the first message prompting the human to make a selection by performing a hand motion in accordance with a status of the human relative to the retail entity;
receive, via at least the second sensor, a first user input from the human indicating the status of the human relative to the retail entity;
responsive to receiving the user input indicating the status, cause the output interface to provide a second message prompting the human to make a selection by performing a hand motion to select an option to proceed with a health screening;
receive, via at least the second sensor, a second user input indicating selection of the option to proceed with the health screening;
responsive to receiving the user input indicating selection of the option to proceed with the health screening, cause the output interface to provide a third message to the human prompting the human to make a selection by performing a hand motion to select an option to consent to capture and use of biometric data;
receive, via at least the second sensor, a third user input indicating selection of the option to consent to the capture and the use of the biometric data;
responsive to receiving the third user input as a verification for consent to the capture and the use of the biometric data, enable at least the first sensor of the plurality of sensors and capture, via the first sensor, the identification information associated with the human;
receive, via the at least the third sensor of the plurality of sensors, temperature data corresponding to the body temperature of the human;
determine, based on the received one or more user inputs and the received temperature data, whether the human meets a health criteria; and
cause the output interface to provide at least a fourth message indicating whether the human has met the health criteria.

2 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , wherein the facility of the retail entity comprises a store, a stockroom, a distribution center, and a fulfillment center.

3 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , wherein when the human has met the health criteria, the control circuit causes the output interface to provide at least the fourth message, wherein the fourth message is role-specific, the fourth message comprising:
an authorization to access the facility and to start work when the human has been determined to be the employee of the retail entity, or an authorization to access the facility when the human has been determined to be a visitor.

4 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine a time data corresponding to the employee of the retail entity clocking in to start a work shift.

5 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 4 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine another time data corresponding to the employee of the retail entity clocking out to end the work shift.

6 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 4 , further comprising a transceiver coupled to the housing, the transceiver configured to transmit the time data to another control circuit to record.

7 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , wherein the fourth message comprises an authorization to access the facility when the human has met the health criteria, and the human has been determined to be the employee of the vendor of the retail entity and the visitor.

8 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , wherein the capture of the identification information, the received one or more user inputs, and the detection of the body temperature are without physical contact from the human.

9 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprise a gesture sensor, an audio sensor, a distance sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an electronic sensor, a pedal sensor, or any combination thereof.

10 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprise at least one of an infrared sensor, a thermal camera, or any combination thereof.

11 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprise at least one of a camera, a barcode scanner configured to capture an identification badge, or any combination thereof.

12 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , further comprising a portable base, wherein the housing is mounted on the portable base that enables the housing to be movable from one place to another place, wherein the output interface, the plurality of sensors, and the control circuit is integrated with the housing.

13 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , wherein an affirmative or a yes response to any of the one or more messages corresponds to the hand moving across, or in front of, a first sensor of the second sensor configured to receive the one or more user inputs, and wherein a negative or a no response to any of the one or more messages corresponds to the hand moving across, or in front of, a second sensor of the second sensor configured to receive the one or more user inputs.

14 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , further comprising at least a fourth sensor configured to provide a trigger signal to at least the third sensor of the plurality of sensors configured to detect the body temperature to start detecting the body temperature, wherein the trigger signal is in response to a receipt of a contactless input of the one or more user inputs bye the human, wherein the contactless input by the human is prompted by the third message of the one or more messages, and wherein the fourth sensor is within a threshold distance to at least the third sensor of the plurality of sensors configured to detect the body temperature.

15 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 14 , wherein the threshold distance corresponds to about 15 centimeters.

16 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , wherein the output interface comprises a display screen.

17 . The touchless temperature screening system of claim 1 , further comprising a printer configured to print the fourth

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Ellison Benjamin R
• Neipling Eric Chad
• Bostian Addison K
• Pabba Manideep
• Giovacchini Ryan J
• Fleshman Alisha D
• Coco Kipp S

Classifications

• G01J5/04

  Casings · CPC title

• G01J5/026

  Control of working procedures of a pyrometer, other than calibration; Bandwidth calculation; Gain control · CPC title

• G01J5/0025

  Living bodies (ear thermometers G01J5/0011; detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00) · CPC title

• G16H40/63

  for local operation · CPC title

• A61B2562/18

  Shielding or protection of sensors from environmental influences, e.g. protection from mechanical damage · CPC title