Transit vending machine with automatic user interface adaption

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016132104-A1
Application number	US-201514935269-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 6, 2015
Priority date	Nov 7, 2014
Publication date	May 12, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for providing a transit vending machine that accommodates its users by automatically adjusting a layout of the user interface based on information determined about the user as obtained from image information of the user. Information about the user can be indicative of user height, hand used to interact with the touchscreen display, an offset of user input, and the like.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A transit system vending machine comprising:
a touchscreen display configured to display a first output in accordance with a first layout configuration, wherein:
the first layout configuration determines a first area of the touchscreen display in which one or more interactive controls are located, and
the first output comprises a first set of displayed elements including a first set of one or more interactive controls disposed in the first area of the touchscreen display and at least one other displayed element;
a camera configured to capture an image of a user of the transit system vending machine and provide the captured image to a processing unit; and the processing unit, communicatively coupled to the touchscreen display and the camera, wherein the processing unit is configured to:
receive the captured image of the user from the camera;
conduct image analysis of the captured image of the user to determine that a triggering event occurred, the triggering event comprising:
the user approaching the transit system vending machine, or
the user raising a hand to press one of the first set of one or more interactive controls; and

in response to determining that a triggering event occurred, cause the transit system vending machine to automatically generate and display a second output on the touchscreen display in accordance with a second layout configuration, wherein:
the second layout configuration determines a second area of the touchscreen display in which one or more interactive controls are located, and
the second area is different than the first area.

2 . The transit system vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to, when the triggering event is determined to comprise the user approaching the transit system vending machine, cause the second output to include, in the second area of the touchscreen display, the first set of one or more interactive controls.

3 . The transit system vending machine of claim 2 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine, from first image information captured by the camera, that a height of the user is above a certain threshold, wherein the second area of the touchscreen display comprises an upper portion of the touchscreen display.

4 . The transit system vending machine of claim 3 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to make the determination regarding the height of the user based on the image information, wherein the image information comprises the captured image of the user.

5 . The transit system vending machine of claim 3 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to make the determination regarding the height of the user based on an established reference position within a field of view of the camera.

6 . The transit system vending machine of claim 5 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to cause the transit system vending machine to establish the reference position from second information captured by the camera during a calibration of the transit system vending machine.

7 . The transit system vending machine of claim 5 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to cause the transit system vending machine to modify the established reference position based on the determination regarding the height of the user.

8 . A transit system vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to, when the triggering event is determined to comprise the user raising a hand to press one of the first set of one or more interactive controls, cause the second output to include the second set of displayed elements wherein the first set of one or more interactive controls are disposed in the second area of the touchscreen display.

9 . A transit system vending machine of claim 8 , wherein the triggering event is determined to comprise the user raising the user's left hand to press one of the first set of one or more interactive controls, and the second area of the touchscreen display comprises a left-hand portion of the touchscreen display.

10 . The transit system vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to cause the transit system vending machine to:
determine that input data regarding locations of a plurality of touchscreen display inputs received by the user when pressing interactive controls on the touchscreen display is indicative of an offset between the locations of the plurality of touchscreen display inputs and the locations of the corresponding interactive controls; and automatically adjusting a position of at least the interactive controls on the touchscreen display to compensate for the offset.

11 . A method of automatic user interface adaption in a transit system vending machine, the method comprising:
displaying, with a touchscreen display, a first output in accordance with a first layout configuration, wherein:
the first layout configuration determines a first area of the touchscreen display in which one or more interactive controls are located, and
the first output comprises a first set of displayed elements including a first set of one or more interactive controls disposed in the first area of the touchscreen display and at least one other displayed element;
capturing an image of a user of the transit system vending machine with a camera; analyzing, with a processing unit of the transit system vending machine, the captured image of the user to determine that a triggering event occurred, the triggering event comprising:
the user approaching the transit system vending machine, or
the user raising a hand to press one of the first set of one or more interactive controls; and
in response to determining that a triggering event occurred, causing the transit system vending machine to automatically generate and display a second output on the touchscreen display in accordance with a second layout configuration, wherein:
the second layout configuration determines a second area of the touchscreen display in which one or more interactive controls are located, and
the second area is different than the first area.

12 . The method of automatic user interface adaption in a transit system vending machine as in claim 11 , further comprising, when the triggering event is determined to comprise the user approaching the transit system vending machine, cause the second output to include, in the second area of the touchscreen display, the first set of one or more interactive controls.

13 . The method of automatic user interface adaption in a transit system vending machine as in claim 12 , further comprising determining, from first image information captured by the camera, that a height of the user is above a certain threshold, wherein the second area of the touchscreen display comprises an upper portion of the touchscreen display.

14 . The method of automatic user interface adaption in a transit system vending machine as in claim 13 , further comprising making the determination regarding the height of the user based on an established reference position within a field of view of the camera.

15 . The method of automatic user interface adaption in a transit system vending machine as in claim 14 , further comprising causing the transit system vending machine to establish the reference position from second information captured by the camera during a calibration of the transit system vending machine.

16 . The method of automatic user interface adaption in a transit system vending machine as in claim 14 , further comprising causing the transit sys

Assignees

• Cubic Corp

Inventors

• Reymann Steffen
• Smith Gavin
• Packham Jon

Classifications

• G06F3/04897

  Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• G07F7/005

  Details or accessories · CPC title

• G06F3/011 Primary

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/017 Primary

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title