Abstract:
An audience counting method includes, capturing an image of a scene in front of a screen with a camera. Detecting the image from the camera to determine whether there is a person in front of the screen. Acquiring information of the person in front of the screen according to the image upon the condition that there is a person in front of the screen and storing the information acquired during a preset period. Comparing current information acquired with the stored information; and outputting a control signal upon the condition that the current information is different from all of the information stored earlier; then counting according to the control signal.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    The present disclosure relates to an audience counting system and method. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Outdoor media has grown vigorously in recent years, things like electronic advertisement billboards, which can be put in different places where many people visit, such as building entrances, subway stations, and supermarkets. Sometimes, the contents of the outdoor media can be made more effective if changed according to audience reaction and/or changing demographics. Therefore, a need exists for operators to be able to obtain data from the outdoor media remotely, such as the number of people who are attracted by visual and acoustic effect of the outdoor media. However, when different members of the audience are attracted more than once, the true count of the audience is not accurate. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an audience counting system. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of the audience counting system of  FIG. 1 , the audience counting system includes a storage unit. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the storage unit of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of an audience counting method. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    The disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of examples and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one. 
         [0011]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an exemplary embodiment of an audience counting system  1  includes a screen  10 , a camera  12 , a storage unit  13 , and a processing unit  15 . The audience counting system  1  can count the number of people in the audience who are attracted by visual and acoustic effect of what the screen  10  displays. 
         [0012]    The camera  12  captures images of a scene in front of the screen  10 . 
         [0013]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the storage unit  13  includes a human image storing module  130 , a human detection module  132 , an information acquisition module  135 , an information storing module  136 , a comparison module  138 , and a counting module  139  which may include one or more computerized instructions and are executed by the processing unit  15 . 
         [0014]    The human image storing module  130  stores a plurality of human images. The human images include a plurality of images of different people, such as old people, young people, males, and females. The camera can obtain the plurality of human images in advance. 
         [0015]    The human detection module  132  checks the image captured by the camera  12  to determine whether there is a person in front of the screen  10 . In one embodiment, the human detection module  132  compares the image captured by the camera  12  with the human images stored in the human image storing module  130  to determine whether there is a person in front of the screen  10 . If a portion of the image captured by the camera  12  is similar to a human image of the plurality of human images stored in the human image storing module  130 , it is determined that there is a person in the image, namely, there is a person in front of the screen  10 . If the image captured by the camera  12  is different from all human images stored in the human image storing module  130 , it is determined that there are no people in the image, namely, there are no people in front of the screen  10 . If two or more portions of the image captured by the camera  12  are similar to two or more human images of the plurality of human images stored in the human image storing module  130 , it is determined that there are two or more people in front of the screen  10 . In other embodiments, the human detection module  132  can use other well-known human recognition technologies when analyzing the images. 
         [0016]    The information acquisition module  135  acquires information of the person in front of the screen  10  according to the image. The information of the person includes age, gender, dress, and hairstyle of the person. The information acquisition module  135  may use a well-known human recognition technology when analyzing the images. 
         [0017]    The information storing module  136  stores the information acquired by the information acquisition module  135  during a preset period of time, such as two hours. In other words, at the time the audience counting system  1  is activated, there is no data stored in the information storing module  136 . After the information acquisition module  135  acquires information of a person in front of the screen  10 , the information of the person is stored in the information storing module  136 . When the preset period of time elapses, the information storing module  136  clears the data stored in the information storing module  136 . 
         [0018]    The comparison module  138  compares current information acquired by the information acquisition module  135  with the information stored in the information storing module  136 . If the current information is same as one of the information stored in the information storing module  136 , it is determined that the current person is same as one of the people who has been in front of the screen  10  at an earlier time in the preset period time. If the current information is different from all of the information stored in the information storing module  136 , it is determined that the current person is different from all of the people who have been in front of the screen  10  at an earlier time in the preset period time. At this time, the comparison module  138  outputs a control signal to the counting module  139 . 
         [0019]    The counting module  139  counts when the comparison module  138  outputs the control signal. During the preset period of time, the number the counting module  139  counts is equal to the number of the people who have been in front of the screen  10 . 
         [0020]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , an exemplary embodiment of an audience counting method includes the following steps. 
         [0021]    In step S 1 , the camera  12  captures an image of a scene in front of the screen  10 . 
         [0022]    In step S 2 , the human detection module  132  detects the image from the camera  12  to determine whether there is a person in front of the screen  10 . If there is a person in front of the screen  10 , the process flows to step S 3 . If no people are in front of the screen  10 , the process returns to step S 1 . In the embodiment, the human detection module  132  compares the image captured by the camera  12  with the human images stored in the human image storing module  130  to determine whether there is a person in front of the screen  10 . If a portion of the image captured by the camera  12  is similar to a human image of the plurality of human images stored in the human image storing module  130 , it is determined that there is a person in the image captured by the camera  12 , namely, there is a person in front of the screen  10 . If the image captured by the camera  12  is different from all human images stored in the human image storing module  130 , it is determined that there is no people in the image captured by the camera  12 , namely, there is no people in front of the screen  10 . If two or more portions of the image captured by the camera  12  are similar to two or more human images of the plurality of human images stored in the human image storing module  130 , it is determined that there are two or more people in front of the screen  10 . In other embodiments, the human detection module  132  can use other well-known human recognition technologies when analyzing the images. 
         [0023]    In step S 3 , the information acquisition module  135  acquires information, such as age, and gender of the person in front of the screen  10  according to the image. 
         [0024]    In step S 4 , the information storing module  136  stores the information acquired by the information acquisition module  135  during a preset period of time. 
         [0025]    In step S 5 , the comparison module  138  compares current information acquired by the information acquisition module  135  with the information stored in the information storing module  136 . If the current information is the same as some of the information stored in the information storing module  136 , it is determined that the current person is same as one of the people who has been in front of the screen  10  at an earlier time in the preset period time, and the process returns to step S  1 . If the current information is different from all of the information stored in the information storing module  136 , it is determined that the current person is different from all people who have been in front of the screen  10  at an earlier time in the preset period time, and the process flows to step S 6 . 
         [0026]    In step S 6 , the comparison module  138  outputs a control signal to the counting module  139 . 
         [0027]    In step S 7 , the counting module  139  counts according to the control signal. 
         [0028]    The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of everything above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and their practical application so as to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skills in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein.