Employee task verification to video system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016307143-A1
Application number	US-201514689320-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 17, 2015
Priority date	Apr 17, 2015
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

When monitoring a workspace to determine whether scheduled tasks or chores are completed according to a predetermined schedule, a video monitoring system monitors a region of interest (ROI) to identify employee-generated signals representing completion of a scheduled task. An employee makes a mark or gesture in the ROI monitored by the video monitoring system and the system analyzes pixels in each captured frame of the ROI to identify an employee signal, map the signal to a corresponding scheduled task, update the task as having been completed upon receipt of the employee signal, and alert a manager of the facility as to whether the task has been completed or not.

First claim

1 . A method for verifying task completion via a video system, comprising:
monitoring via one or more video cameras a region of interest (ROI); analyzing pixels in the ROI in video frames captured by the one or more video cameras whether an employee signal has been detected in the region of interest; upon detection of an employee signal:
identifying a task corresponding to the detected employee signal;
updating a task schedule for the identified task to indicate completion of the task;
generating and transmitting a task completion alert message indicative of completion of the identified task.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, for each given scheduled task, initializing a timer upon onset of ROI monitoring.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , further comprising, for each given scheduled task, resetting the timer upon detection of an employee signal indicating completion of the task.

4 . The method according to claim 2 , further comprising generating and transmitting an incomplete task alert message upon a determination that an employee signal indicating completion of the task has not been received within a predetermined upper time limit for completing the task as determined by the timer.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the employee signal is a hand gesture performed by an employee while within the monitored ROI.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the employee signal is a symbol drawn by an employee on a surface within the monitored ROI.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the employee signal one of a sign and an image presented by an employee within the monitored ROI.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the analyzing is performed on a frame-by frame basis.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising counting a number of detected employee signals indicating completion of a given task, and generating and transmitting the task completion alert message upon detection of an Nth detected employee signal for the given task, where N is an integer greater than 1.

10 . A video system that facilitates verifying task completion in a retail or service environment, comprising:
one or more video cameras that monitor a region of interest (ROI); a processor configured to:
analyze pixels in the ROI in video frames captured by the one or more video cameras whether an employee signal has been detected in the region of interest; and
upon detection of an employee signal:
identify a task corresponding to the detected employee signal;
update a task schedule for the identified task to indicate completion of the task;
generate and transmit a task completion alert message indicative of completion of the identified task.

11 . The system according to claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to, for each given scheduled task, initialize a timer upon onset of ROI monitoring.

12 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to, for each given scheduled task, reset the timer upon detection of an employee signal indicating completion of the task.

13 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate and transmit an incomplete task alert message upon a determination that an employee signal indicating completion of the task has not been received within a predetermined upper time limit for completing the task as determined by the timer.

14 . The system according to claim 10 , wherein the employee signal is a hand gesture performed by an employee while within the monitored ROI.

15 . The system according to claim 10 , wherein the employee signal is a symbol drawn by an employee on a surface within the monitored ROI.

16 . The system according to claim 10 , wherein the employee signal one of a sign and an image presented by an employee within the monitored ROI.

17 . The system according to claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to analyze pixels in the ROI on a frame-by frame basis.

18 . The system according to claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to count a number of detected employee signals indicating completion of a given task, and to generate and transmit the task completion alert message upon detection of an Nth detected employee signal for the given task, where N is an integer greater than 1.

19 . A method of verifying task completion in a retail or service environment, comprising:
monitoring a scene with one or more video cameras; defining a region of interest (ROI) within the scene for detecting employee signal events; analyzing the ROI to detect employee signal events; classifying a detected signal event as corresponding to a completed task; updating a task completion schedule based on the classified signal event; and generating transmitting a task completion alert message indicative of the completed task.

20 . The method according to claim 19 , further comprising:
for each given scheduled task:
initializing a timer upon onset of ROI monitoring;
resetting the timer upon detection of an employee signal indicating completion of the task.
generating and transmitting an incomplete task alert message upon a determination that an employee signal indicating completion of the task has not been received within a predetermined upper time limit for completing the task as determined by the timer.

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Mongeon Michael C
• Loce Robert
• Shreve Matthew

Classifications

• G06K9/6267

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K9/00765

  Physics · mapped topic

• H04N5/772

  the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure · CPC title

• G06K9/00335

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06Q10/063114 Primary

  Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group · CPC title