Computing Systems

Abstract

To provide a method and a computing system for assisting people in maintaining safe distances.SOLUTION: A method comprises the steps of: identifying one or more areas in a region; and determining if a condition of each area included in the one or more areas is at least one of a safe area and a congested area. This condition is determined based on the congestion status of the one or more areas. The method further comprises a step of providing a trigger to a display system. The display system provides warnings to people in each area from the one or more areas determined to be congested areas.EFFECT: The display system provides warnings in different forms to support people to move to the safe areas and assist people in maintaining a safe distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to people monitoring and, more particularly, to techniques for assisting people in maintaining safe distances. [Background technology]

[0002] Crowds in places like shopping malls, train stations, retail stores, and airports can pose various risks to individuals. The risk increases especially when excessive numbers of people stay in a particular location. When crowds exceed safe limits, people may be injured or even lose their lives. Furthermore, people must adhere to social distancing to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Social distancing refers to maintaining a safe distance between people. People must maintain physical distance from each other and reduce the number of times people come into close proximity with each other. Ensuring social distancing can curb the transmission of infectious diseases. Therefore, a system is needed to help people maintain a safe distance.

[0003] Conventional techniques for assisting people in maintaining a safe distance include calculating the distance between people in overhead video of an area. Reference points indicating a predefined distance threshold are provided to the system. The system provides the number of times people exceed the predefined distance threshold. Furthermore, conventional techniques include providing information to an administrator when people exceed the predefined distance threshold. This information may be provided, for example, via a television screen. Conventional techniques do not provide warnings to people to assist them in maintaining a safe distance. An improved system that can assist people in maintaining a safe distance is needed.

[0004] The information disclosed in the Background section above is intended to enhance understanding of the general background of the present invention, and is not intended or in any way suggested to constitute prior art already known to those skilled in the art. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6764214 Summary of the Invention

[0006] In one embodiment, the present disclosure discloses a method for assisting people in maintaining a safe distance. The method includes identifying one or more zones within an area. The method further includes determining whether a status of each of the one or more zones is one of a safe zone and a congested zone. The status is determined based on the congestion of the one or more zones. The method further includes providing a trigger to a display system. The display system is configured to provide a warning to people within each of the one or more zones determined to be a congested zone. The warning is provided to people to move to a safe zone.

[0007] In one embodiment, the present disclosure discloses a computing system for assisting people in maintaining a safe distance. The computing system includes one or more processors and a memory. The one or more processors are configured to identify one or more zones within an area. The one or more processors are further configured to determine whether a status of each zone from the one or more zones is one of a safe zone and a congested zone. The status is determined based on the congestion of the one or more zones. The one or more processors are further configured to provide a trigger to a display system. The display system is configured to provide a warning to people within each of the one or more zones determined to be a congested zone. The warning is provided to people to move to a safe zone.

[0008] The above summary of the invention is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the exemplary aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] The novel features and characteristics of the present disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. However, the disclosure itself, as well as its preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like elements. [Figure 1A] 1 illustrates an exemplary environment for assisting people in maintaining a safe distance, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 1B] 1 illustrates exemplary zones within a region, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 illustrates the internal architecture of a system for helping people maintain safe distances, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A] 1 illustrates an example embodiment for determining congestion, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] 1 illustrates an example embodiment for determining congestion, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3C] 1 illustrates an example embodiment for determining congestion, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 shows an exemplary flowchart illustrating method steps for helping people maintain safe distances, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5A] 1 shows an exemplary diagram for helping people maintain a safe distance, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5B]1 shows an exemplary diagram for helping people maintain a safe distance, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a block diagram of a general-purpose computing system for assisting people in maintaining safe distances according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams shown in this disclosure represent conceptual representations of exemplary systems embodying principles of certain aspects of the present invention. Similarly, it will be understood that any flowcharts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocode, and the like, substantially embodied in a computer-readable medium, represent various processes that may be executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such a computer or processor is explicitly shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the subject matter described as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0011] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. It is to be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure should cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.

[0012] The terms "comprises," "comprises," "includes," "including," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, and a setup, device, or method comprising a list of components or steps may not include only those components or steps, but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent in such setup or device or method. In other words, the term "comprising" one or more elements in a system or apparatus does not, without further constraints, preclude the presence of other or additional elements in the system or apparatus.

[0013]

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and a computing system for assisting people in maintaining a safe distance. First, one or more zones within an area are identified. A status of each of the one or more zones is determined. The status of each zone is determined to be either a safe zone or a congested zone based on the congestion status of the one or more zones. Upon determining the status of each zone, a trigger is provided to a display system. The display system provides a warning to people in each zone determined to be a congested zone. Upon receiving the warning, people can move to a safe zone. The present disclosure provides a display system for providing warnings in various formats to encourage people to move to a safe zone. The system assists people in maintaining a safe distance within an area.

[0014] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary environment 100 for assisting people in maintaining a safe distance, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The exemplary environment 100 includes a computing system 101, a display system 102, and people 103 in an area 104. The computing system 101 may be configured to assist the people 103 in maintaining a safe distance in the area 104. The area 104 may be any area that may be crowded at various times of day. For example, the area 104 may be a shopping mall, a retail store, or an exhibition center. The area 104 may be a busy place, such as a train station, a bus station, or a location where a popular event is organized. The people 103 may be visitors, customers, or the like. The computing system 101 may be configured to identify one or more areas in the area 104. In one embodiment, identifying the one or more areas may include determining the one or more areas based on crowding in the area 104. The crowding in the area 104 may be used to determine whether there are a large number of people 103 in the area 104. In another embodiment, one or more areas may be identified based on pre-stored information associated with the region 104 .

[0015] Further, the computing system 101 may be configured to determine a status of each zone from one or more zones within the region 104. The status of the one or more zones may be determined to be one of a safe zone and a congested zone. The status of the one or more zones may be determined based on the congestion in the one or more zones within the region 104. A safe zone may be defined as a zone where fewer than a certain number of people 103 are present and / or where the distance 103 between the people is greater than a certain distance value. A congested zone may be defined as a zone where the number of people 103 is greater than a certain number and / or where the distance between the people 103 is less than a certain distance value. See FIG. 1B, which illustrates one or more zones 110 within the region 104. Consider the one or more zones 110 in FIG. 1B as one or more zones 1101, 1102, and 1103. Zone 1101 has one person present. The status of zone 1101 may be determined to be a safe zone. Zone 1102 has three people present who are very close to each other. The state of area 1102 may be determined to be a crowded area. There are no people in area 1103. The state of area 1103 may be determined to be a safe area.

[0016] Additionally, the computing system 101 may be configured to provide a trigger to the display system 102 based on a determination of the status of one or more zones 110. The display system 102 may be a device that provides an indication in the form of a lamp, a display, an audio signal, or the like. For example, the display system 102 may be a light-emitting diode (LED), a laser projector, a television screen, a light strip, or the like, installed at various locations in the area 104. The computing system 101 may provide information related to the status of one or more zones 110 to the display system 102. The information related to the status of one or more zones 110 may be provided as a control signal. For example, the computing system 101 may provide a control signal value of "0" to the display system 102 when the status of the zone is a safe zone. The computing system 101 may provide a control signal value of "1" to the display system 102 when the status of the zone is a congested zone. Those skilled in the art will understand that information related to one or more zones 110 can be communicated to the display system 102 using any other known techniques and is not limited to the above-described methods.

[0017] The display system 102 may be configured to provide a warning to the people 103 upon receiving a trigger from the computing system 101. The display system 102 may provide a warning for each area in the one or more areas 110 determined to be a congested area. The warning may be provided so that people can move to a safe area. Referring to FIG. 1B, 1111 and 1112 represent exemplary directions shown to people to move from the congested area to a safe area. The computing system 101 and the display system 102 may communicate via a communications network (not shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B). The communications network may include, but is not limited to, a direct interconnection, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless network (e.g., using a wireless application protocol), the Internet, etc.

[0018] The computing system 101 may include a central processing unit 105 (also referred to as a “CPU” or “one or more processors 105”), an input / output interface 106, and a memory 107. In some embodiments, the memory 107 may be communicatively coupled to the processor 105. The memory 107 stores instructions executable by the one or more processors 105. The one or more processors 105 may include at least one data processor for executing program components for carrying out user- or system-generated requests. The memory 107 may be communicatively connected to the one or more processors 105. The memory 107 stores instructions executable by the one or more processors 105, which, when executed, may cause the one or more processors 105 to assist people 103 in maintaining a safe distance within the area 104. In one embodiment, the memory 107 may include one or more modules 109 and data 108. The one or more modules 109 may be configured to use the data 108 to perform steps of the present disclosure to maintain a safe distance within the area 104. In one embodiment, each of the one or more modules 109 may be a hardware unit external to the memory 107 and connected to the computing system 101. As used herein, the term module 109 refers to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable system-on-a-chip (PSoC), a combinational logic circuit, and / or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. When configured with the described functionality defined in this disclosure, the one or more modules 109 would result in novel hardware. Additionally, the input / output interface 106 is connected to the one or more processors 105 to which input and / or output signals are transmitted. For example, the computing system 101 may provide triggers to the display system 102 via the input / output interface 106.In one embodiment, the computing system 101 may be implemented in a variety of computing systems, such as a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a personal computer (PC), a notebook, a smartphone, a tablet, an e-reader, a server, a network server, a cloud-based server, etc., to assist people 103 in maintaining a safe distance within the area 104.

[0019] 2 illustrates an internal architecture 200 of a computing system 101 for maintaining a safe distance within an area 104, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The computing system 101 may include one or more processors 105, memory 107, and input / output interfaces 106.

[0020] In one embodiment, the modules 109 may include, for example, an area identification module 205, a status determination module 206, a trigger output module 207, and other modules 208. It will be appreciated that such aforementioned modules 109 may be a single module or a combination of different modules, etc. In one embodiment, the data 108 may include, for example, area data 201, status data 202, trigger data 203, and other data 204.

[0021] In one embodiment, the area identification module 205 may be configured to identify one or more areas 110 within the region 104. In a first embodiment, the area identification module 205 may identify the one or more areas 110 by determining the one or more areas 110 based on a congestion status within the region 104. In a second embodiment, the area identification module 205 may identify the one or more areas 110 based on pre-stored information associated with the region 104.

[0022] In a first embodiment, the area identification module 205 may be configured to determine the number of people 103 within the area 104. The crowding within the area 104 may indicate the number of people 103 within the area 104 and the distance between the people 103. For example, the number of people 103 within the area 104 may be four. Further, the area identification module 205 may be configured to determine the average distance between the people 103 within the area 104. The area identification module 205 may determine the distance between every two people 103. The average distance between the people 103 may be determined from the distance between every two people. For example, the average distance may be two feet. In another example, the average distance may be six feet. The area identification module 205 may determine the crowding from the number of people 103 and the average distance between the people 103.

[0023] In one embodiment, the area identification module 205 may determine congestion from an image of the area 104. The area identification module 205 may be associated with an imager 301, as shown in FIG. 3A . The imager 301 may be configured to capture an image of the area 104. In one embodiment, the imager 301 may be a camera. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other types of imagers (e.g., thermal cameras, IR cameras, etc.) may also be used. The imager 301 may be positioned above the area 104 so that the imager 301's imaging range covers the entire area. An exemplary imaging range of the imager 301 is represented by the bold dotted line in FIG. 3A . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the imager 301 may be located in other positions so that the entire area is covered. For example, assume that the area 104 is an area on the first floor of a shopping mall. The imager 301 may be located on the second floor of the shopping mall so that the area on the first floor is included in the captured image. In one example, multiple imagers may be located at different positions so that the entire area is covered. Alternatively, a plurality of images captured using a plurality of imaging units may be stitched together to generate an image of the entire area.

[0024] The area identification module 205 may receive an image of the area 104 from the image capture unit 301. The area identification module 205 may use computer vision techniques to determine the number of people 103 from the image of the area 104. For example, face detection techniques may be used to determine the number of people 103. Those skilled in the art will understand that other known techniques can be used to determine the number of people 103 from an image, and that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned techniques. Furthermore, the area identification module 205 may determine the distance between the people 103 based on parameters related to the image capture unit 301 and the people 103. The parameters related to the image capture unit 301 may include the focal length of the image capture unit 301, the sensor size of the image capture unit 301, etc. The parameters related to the people 103 may include the height of a person, the distance from the image capture unit 301 to the person, etc. The area identification module 205 may determine the average distance between the people 103. Furthermore, the area identification module 205 may determine the congestion in the area 104 based on the number of people 103 and the average distance between the people 103.

[0025] In another embodiment, the area identification module 205 may determine congestion in the area 104 based on short-range communication between devices associated with the people 103 in the area 104. Each person in the area 104 may be associated with a device. For example, each person may be associated with a smartphone. The devices may have one or more short-range communication features enabled. In one embodiment, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) may be enabled in the devices. The number of people 103 may be determined based on short-range communication between the devices. The distance between the people 103 may be determined based on measuring the strength of the signals communicated between the devices. See example 302 in FIG. 3B, which illustrates people 3041, 3042, and 3043. Devices 3031, 3032, and 3033 may be associated with persons 3041, 3042, and 3043, respectively. Devices 3031, 3032, and 3033 may be BLE-enabled devices. Each circle around each device 3031, 3032, and 3033 may represent a Bluetooth range. In another embodiment, the devices may have UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) functionality enabled. The number of people 103 may be determined based on short-range communication between the devices. The distance between the people 103 may be determined based on measuring the time it takes for a radio wave to travel between two devices. The area identification module 205 may determine an average distance between the people 103. Furthermore, the area identification module 205 may determine congestion in the area 104 based on the number of people 103 and the average distance between the people 103.

[0026] Furthermore, the area identification module 205 may be configured to identify one or more areas 110 based on crowding within the area 104. For example, the one or more areas 110 may be dynamically identified based on the number of people 103 within the area 104 and the longest distance between the people 103 within the area 104. For example, the one or more areas 110 may be clustered based on groups of people 103 within the area 104 and the distances between the groups. Those skilled in the art will understand that any other method may be used to determine one or more areas 110 based on crowding within the area 104 and is not limited to the above-mentioned method.

[0027] In a second embodiment, the area identification module 205 may identify one or more areas 110 based on pre-stored information related to the area 104. The pre-stored information may include a pre-stored image of the area 104. The pre-stored image may be taken when no people are present in the area 104. An empty area without obstacles may be identified as one or more areas. For example, the area 104 may be a department store with aisles. Areas between the aisles may be identified as one or more areas based on the pre-stored image of the area 104. In another example, a ticket counter at a subway station may be identified as one or more areas. Those skilled in the art will understand that other methods of identifying one or more areas may be used and are not limited to the above-described methods.

[0028] Additionally, the area identification module 205 may be configured to determine congestion in one or more areas 110. Determining congestion in one or more areas 110 may be similar to determining congestion in the region 104. The area identification module 205 may communicate the congestion in one or more areas 110 to the condition determination module 206. The number of people 103 and the average distance between people 103 may be stored in the memory 107 as area data 201.

[0029] In one embodiment, the status determination module 206 may be configured to receive the zone data 201 from the zone identification module 205. The status determination module 206 may determine a status of each zone from one or more zones 110 in the region 104. The status may be determined to be one of a safe zone and a congested zone. The status may be determined based on the congestion in the one or more zones 110 received from the zone identification module 205. The status determination module 206 may determine an zone to be a congested zone if the average distance between people 103 in the zone is less than a predetermined distance value and the number of people 103 is greater than a predetermined number of people value. The predetermined number of people value may be set based on the size of the one or more zones 110. Furthermore, there may be a different predetermined number of people value for each zone. For example, the predetermined number of people value may be 5, and the predetermined distance value may be 3 feet. In one example, suppose there are three people in an area, and the average distance between people 103 is two feet. In such a case, the status of the area would be determined to be a safe area. In another example, suppose there are seven people in an area. The area may be an office cubicle. The size of the area allows for a maximum of five people in the office cubicle to maintain a safe distance. Because there are seven people in the area, the status of the area may be determined to be a crowded area.

[0030] See example 305 in FIG. 3C , which illustrates people 3041, 3042, and 3043 and associated devices 3031, 3032, and 3033. The state determination module 206 may determine the state of an area as congested based on short-range communication between the devices 3031, 3032, and 3033. The devices 3031, 3032, and 3033 may transmit information related to the number of devices and the distance between the devices 3031, 3032, and 3033 to the state determination module 206. The terms “Bluetooth range” and “range” are used interchangeably in this description. The state determination module 206 may determine the number of people 3041, 3042, and 3043 based on the number of devices within range of other devices. The state determination module 206 may determine the average distance between the people 3041, 3042, and 3043 based on the distance between every two devices. FIG. 3C shows device 3031 within the range of device 3032. The state determination module 206 may determine that the distance between person 3041 and person 3042 within the area is less than a predetermined distance value based on information related to this distance. The state determination module 206 may determine that people 3041 and 3042 need to space themselves out within the area. Hereinafter, information regarding the distance between people will be referred to as spacing information. The spacing information may be stored in memory 107 as state data 202. Device 3033 is out of the range of devices 3031 and 3032. The state determination module 206 may determine that the area including person 3043 is a safe area. According to one embodiment, the state determination module 206 may determine congestion based on the number of devices within the range of other devices and the distance between devices 3031, 3032, and 3033 based on UWB communication between devices 3031, 3032, and 3033. When determining congestion using devices 3031, 3032, and 3033, multiple wireless stations capable of UWB communication with devices 3031, 3032, and 3033 and communicatively connected to computing system 101 are fixedly installed within area 104, and the positions of devices 3031, 3032, and 3033 within area 104 are calculated in computing system 101 using known positioning technology based on UWB communication between each of devices 3031, 3032, and 3033 and the multiple wireless stations.

[0031] Further, the state determination module 206 may be configured to determine whether the number of areas determined to be congested among the one or more areas 110 is greater than a predetermined threshold. For example, the predetermined threshold may be five. The number of areas that are congested may be determined to control the movement of people 103 within the area 104. Further, the state determination module 206 may be configured to monitor each area determined to be congested among the one or more areas 110 for a predetermined period of time. The state determination module 206 may be configured to provide an output when an area included in the one or more areas 110 is determined to be congested for a period of time exceeding the predetermined period of time. For example, assume that ten people stand close to each other at a cashier window in a shopping mall for five minutes. The state of the one or more areas 110, the number of the one or more areas 110, is determined to be congested, and this output may be stored in the memory 107 as state data 202.

[0032] In one embodiment, the trigger output module 207 may be configured to receive the status data 202 from the status determination module 206. The status determination module 206 may provide a trigger to the display system 102 based on the status of each of the one or more zones 110. In one embodiment, the trigger output module 207 may provide a first trigger when the status of each of the one or more zones 110 is determined to be a congested zone. In another embodiment, the trigger output module 207 may provide a first trigger when a zone in the one or more zones 110 is associated with interval information. In one embodiment, the trigger output module 207 may provide a second trigger when the number of areas in the one or more areas 110 determined to be congested areas is greater than a predetermined threshold. In one embodiment, the trigger output module 207 may provide a third trigger when an area in the one or more areas 110 is determined to be congested for more than a predetermined period of time. Upon receiving the first trigger, the display system 102 may be configured to provide a warning to people in each area determined to be a congested area. The warning may be provided so that people move to a safe area. Upon receiving the first trigger, the display system 102 may be configured to provide a warning in the form of at least one of a display, an audio, and a light. For example, the display system 102 may be a laser projector. A laser light may be projected onto each area of ​​the one or more areas 110 determined to be a congested area. In one example, the display system 102 may be a drone. The drone may be provided with information related to the one or more areas 110 determined to be congested areas. The drone may be configured to provide a warning by flying to each area determined to be a congested area. In one embodiment, the display system 102 may provide a warning indicating that people in the area should space out based on the spacing information. The spacing warning may be provided to ensure that a safe distance is maintained between people.

[0033] In one embodiment, the display system 102 may be configured to provide a congestion warning to control movement of people 103 within the area 104 upon receiving the second trigger. For example, the congestion warning may be provided via a speaker installed at a door of the area 104. In another example, the congestion warning may be provided to equipment associated with security personnel monitoring the area 104. The security personnel may control movement of people 103 within the area 104. In one embodiment, the display system 102 may be configured to provide a time warning upon receiving a third trigger. In one example, the warning based on the first trigger may be provided in the form of a display. The time warning may be provided in the form of an audio signal. The first trigger, the second trigger, and the third trigger may be stored in the memory 107 as trigger data 203.

[0034] Other data 204 may store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by one or more modules 109 to perform various functions of computing system 101. One or more modules 109 may further include other modules 208 to perform various functions of computing system 101. Other data 204 may be stored in memory 107. It will be understood that one or more modules 109 may be a single module, a combination of different modules, etc.

[0035] 4 shows an exemplary flowchart illustrating method steps for assisting people 103 in maintaining a safe distance within an area 104, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, method 400 may include one or more steps. Method 400 may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions. Generally, computer-executable instructions may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions that perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types.

[0036] The order in which method 400 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks may be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the method without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Additionally, the method may be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

[0037] In step 401, the computing system 101 may identify one or more areas 110 within the region 104. In a first embodiment, the computing system 101 may identify the one or more areas 110 by determining the one or more areas 110 based on congestion within the region 104. The computing system 101 may determine the congestion from an image of the region 104. In another embodiment, the computing system 101 may determine the congestion within the region 104 based on short-range communications between devices associated with people 103 within the region 104. Further, the computing system 101 may be configured to determine the congestion within the one or more areas 110. The computing system 101 may determine the one or more areas 110 based on the determination of congestion within the region 104. For example, the one or more areas 110 may be dynamically identified. This dynamic identification may be performed periodically. In one embodiment, the time period for performing the dynamic identification may be constant. In another embodiment, the time period may vary based on the time of day. For example, the time period may be shorter during peak times of the day when the region 104 is more congested, such as in the evening. This period may be longer at other times of the day when the area 104 is less crowded, such as during the afternoon hours. In a second embodiment, the computing system 101 may identify one or more areas 110 based on pre-stored information related to the area 104.

[0038] In step 402, the computing system 101 may determine whether the status of each zone from one or more zones 110 within the region 104 is one of a safe zone and a congested zone. The computing system 101 may determine the status based on congestion within the region 104. In one embodiment, the computing system 101 may determine the status based on congestion determined from an image of the region 104. In another embodiment, the computing system 101 may determine whether the status of each zone is a congested zone based on short-range communication between devices. Furthermore, the computing system 101 may be configured to determine whether the number of zones determined to be congested zones among the one or more zones 110 is greater than a predetermined threshold. Furthermore, the computing system 101 may be configured to monitor zones determined to be congested zones among the one or more zones 110 for a predetermined period of time.

[0039] In step 403, the computing system 101 may provide a trigger to the display system 102 based on the status of each of the one or more areas 110. In one embodiment, the computing system 101 may provide a first trigger when the status of each of the one or more areas 110 is determined to be a congested area. In one embodiment, the computing system 101 may provide a second trigger when the number of each of the one or more areas 110 determined to be congested is greater than a predetermined threshold. In one embodiment, the computing system 101 may provide a third trigger when a single area included in the one or more areas 110 is determined to be congested for a period exceeding a predetermined time period. Upon receiving the first trigger, the display system 102 may be configured to provide a warning to people in each of the areas determined to be congested. Referring to example 500 of FIG. 5A , the display system 102 may be a laser projector (not shown in FIG. 5A ). The laser projector may provide the warning by projecting a laser light onto the area 104. Various colored lights may be projected to distinguish between safe and congested areas. 501 represents red. 502 represents green. Green light may be projected on the boundary surrounding an area determined to be a safe area. Red light may be projected on the boundary surrounding an area determined to be a congested area. This allows people to move to the safe area. Referring to example 503 in FIG. 5B , the display system 102 may be a drone 504. The drone 504 may be provided with information related to one or more areas 110 determined to be congested areas. The drone 504 may be configured to provide a warning by moving to each area determined to be a congested area. A drone providing a warning in audio form is shown in FIG. 5B .

[0040] In one embodiment, upon receiving a second trigger, the display system 102 may be configured to provide a congestion warning to control movement of people 103 within the area 104. In one embodiment, upon receiving a third trigger, the display system 102 may be configured to provide a time warning. Alternative methods of providing warnings may include side-mounted displays, AR applications, AR headsets, audio instructions, floor lighting with RGB (red, green, blue) LED tiles, light strips, etc.

[0041] (Computer Systems) FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 600 for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. In one embodiment, computer system 600 may be used to implement computing system 101. Thus, computer system 600 may be used to assist people 103 in maintaining a safe distance within area 104. In one embodiment, computer system 600 may provide triggers to display system 612 via communication network 609. Computer system 600 may include a central processing unit 602 (also referred to as a “CPU” or “processor”). Processor 602 may include at least one data processor. Processor 602 may include special-purpose processing units such as an integrated system (bus) controller, a memory management control unit, a floating-point unit, a graphics processing unit, a digital signal processing unit, etc.

[0042] The processor 602 may be arranged to communicate with one or more input / output devices (not shown) via an input / output interface 601. The input / output interface 601 may employ communication protocols / methods such as, but not limited to, audio, analog, digital, mono, RCA, stereo, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)-1394, serial bus, universal serial bus (USB), infrared, PS / 2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, digital visual interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), radio frequency (RF) antenna, S-Video, VGA, IEEE 802.n / b / g / n / x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., code division multiple access (CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA+), global system for mobile communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiMAX, etc.).

[0043] Using input / output interface 601, computer system 600 may communicate with one or more input / output devices. For example, input device(s) 610 may be an antenna, keyboard, mouse, joystick, (infrared) remote control, camera, card reader, fax machine, dongle, biometric reader, microphone, touch screen, touch pad, trackball, stylus, scanner, storage device, transceiver, video device / source, etc. Output device(s) 611 may be a printer, fax machine, video display (e.g., cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), LED, plasma, plasma display panel (PDP), organic light emitting diode display (OLED), etc.), audio speaker, etc.

[0044] The computer system 600 is connected to a display system 612 via a communications network 609. The processor 602 may be communicatively disposed with the communications network 609 via a network interface 603. The network interface 603 may communicate with the communications network 609. The network interface 603 may employ a connection protocol including, but not limited to, a direct connection, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10 / 100 / 1000 Base-T), Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Token Ring, IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / x, etc. The communications network 609 may include, but is not limited to, a direct interconnect, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless network (e.g., using a wireless application protocol), the Internet, etc. The network interface 603 may employ connection protocols including, but not limited to, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10 / 100 / 1000 Base-T), Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Token Ring, IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / x, etc.

[0045] The communications network 609 includes, but is not limited to, a direct interconnection, an electronic commerce network, a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless network (e.g., using a wireless application protocol), the Internet, Wi-Fi, etc. The first network and the second network may be either a dedicated network or a shared network, including various types of networks using various protocols, such as, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., to communicate with each other. Furthermore, the first network and the second network may include various network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc.

[0046] In some embodiments, processor 602 may be arranged to communicate with memory 605 (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc., not shown in FIG. 6 ) via storage interface 604. Storage interface 604 may connect to memory 605, including, but not limited to, memory drives, removable disk drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Fibre Channel, Small Computing System Interface (SCSI), etc. Memory drives may further include drum, magnetic disk drives, magneto-optical drives, optical drives, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives (SSD), etc.

[0047] Memory 605 may store a collection of program or database components, including, but not limited to, a user interface 606, an operating system 607, a web browser 608, etc. In some embodiments, computer system 600 may store user / application data, such as data, variables, records, etc., as described in this disclosure. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases (e.g., Oracle® or Sybase®).

[0048] Operating system 607 can facilitate resource management and operation of computer system 600. Examples of operating systems include, but are not limited to, APPLE® MACINTOSH® OSX®, UNIX®, UNIX-like system distributions (e.g., BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION (BSD), FREEBSD, NETBSD, OPENBSD, etc.), LINUX® DISTRIBUTIONS (e.g., RED HAT, UBUNTU®, KUBUNTU, etc.), IBM® OS / 2, MICROSOFT® WINDOWS® (XP, VISTA / 7 / 8, 10, etc.), APPLE iOS®, GOOGLE® ANDROID®, BLACKBERRY® OS, etc.

[0049] In some embodiments, computer system 600 may implement a web browser 608 having stored thereon a program component. Web browser 608 may be, for example, a hypertext display application such as MICROSOFT® INTERNET EXPLORER®, GOOGLE CHROME®, MOZILLA® FIREFOX®, APPLE SAFARI®, etc. Secure web browsing may be provided using Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), etc. Web browser 608 may use features such as AJAX, DHTML, ADOBE® FLASH®, JAVASCRIPT®, JAVA®, application programming interfaces (APIs), etc. In some embodiments, computer system 600 may implement a program component that includes a mail server (not shown). The mail server may be an Internet mail server such as Microsoft Exchange. The mail server may use functionality such as ASP, ACTIVEX®, ANSI C++ / C#, MICROSOFT, .NET, CGI SCRIPTS, JAVA®, JAVASCRIPT®, PERL®, PHP, PYTHON®, WEBOBJECTS®, etc. The mail server may utilize communication protocols such as Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), Microsoft Exchange, Post Office Protocol (POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), etc. In some embodiments, computer system 600 may implement a program component that includes a mail client.The email client (not shown) may be an email viewing application such as APPLE MAIL, MICROSOFT ENTOURAGE®, MICROSOFT OUTLOOK®, MOZILLA THUNDERBIRD®, or the like.

[0050] Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory in which information or data readable by a processor can be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term "computer-readable medium" should be understood to include tangible items, carrier waves, and transient signals, i.e., non-transitory items. Examples include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, compact disc read-only memory (CD ROM), digital video discs (DVDs), flash drives, disks, and other known physical storage media.

[0051] Embodiments of the present disclosure assist people in maintaining safe distances within an area by providing different forms of warnings to encourage people to move to safe areas. Additionally, the present disclosure provides warnings when people are crowded in an area for longer periods of time. Thus, the present disclosure provides a method for assisting social distancing among people, thereby reducing the transmission of infectious diseases.

[0052] The present disclosure provides alerts to control the movement of people within an area, thus providing a way to avoid overcrowding of an area.

[0053] The terms "an embodiment," "one or more embodiments," "some embodiments," and "one embodiment" mean one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention, unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0054] The terms "including," "comprising," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0055] An enumerated list of items does not imply that some or all of the items are mutually exclusive unless expressly stated otherwise. The terms "a," "an," and "the" mean "one or more," unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0056] A description of an embodiment having several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a wide variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present invention.

[0057] Where a single apparatus (device) or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that two or more apparatuses / articles (whether or not they cooperate) may be used in place of the single apparatus / article. Similarly, where two or more apparatuses or articles are described herein (whether or not they cooperate), it will be readily apparent that a single apparatus / article may be used in place of one or more apparatuses or articles, or that a number of different apparatuses / articles may be used in place of a specified number of apparatuses or programs. The functionality and / or features of an apparatus may alternatively be embodied by one or more other devices not explicitly described as having such functionality / features. Thus, other embodiments of the present invention need not include the apparatus itself.

[0058] The operations depicted in FIG. 4 depict certain events occurring in a particular order. In alternative embodiments, certain operations may be performed in a different order, modified, or removed. Furthermore, steps may be added to the logic described above and still be consistent with the above embodiments. Furthermore, operations described herein may be performed sequentially, or certain operations may be processed in parallel. Furthermore, operations may be performed by a single processing unit or by distributed processing units.

[0059] Finally, the language used herein has been selected primarily for ease of reading and descriptive purposes, and not to delineate or limit the subject matter of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based upon this specification. Accordingly, the disclosure of embodiments of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

[0060] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope being indicated by the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 100 Example Environments 101 Computing Systems 102 Display System 103 people 104 areas 105 processors 106 Input / Output Interface 107 memory 108 Data 109 Modules 110 One or more areas 1111, 1112 exemplary directions 200 Internal Architecture 201 Area Data 202 Status Data 203 Trigger Data 204 Other Data 205 Area Identification Module 206 Status Judgment Module 207 Trigger Output Module 208 other modules 300 examples 301 Imaging unit 302 Examples 303 Equipment 304 people 305 examples 500 examples 501 Red 502 Green 600 Computer Systems 601 Input / Output Interface 602 processor 603 Network Interface 604 Storage Interface 605 memory 606 User Interface 607 Operating System 608 Web Browser 609 Communication Network 610 Input Device 611 Output Device 612 Display System

Claims

1. A computing system (101) for assisting people (103) in maintaining a safe distance, comprising: one or more processors (105); The one or more processors (105) Identifying a plurality of areas (110) within the region (104); determining whether a status of each zone included in the plurality of zones is one of a safe zone and a congested zone based on an average distance between people (102) based on wireless communication between devices (303) associated with the people (102) in the plurality of zones (110); A computing system that provides a trigger to a display system (102) configured to provide a warning to people within each area determined to be a congested area included in the plurality of areas (110) to move to the safe area.

2. 2. The computing system (101) of claim 1, The one or more processors (105) monitoring each of the plurality of areas (110) determined to be congested areas for a predetermined period of time; The computing system is further configured to provide a time alert to people (103) within a zone (110) included in the plurality of zones (110) determined to be crowded at a time exceeding the predetermined period.

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