Patent Description:
For operators of critical infrastructure installations like airports, rail stations, other transit hubs, offices, stadiums, and the like, maintaining a complete and up-to-date overview of the various systems used to manage an installation is important. In many cases, infrastructure installations use a variety of disparate monitoring systems, which may include perimeter surveillance systems, security camera systems, motion detecting systems, passenger monitoring systems, vehicle monitoring systems, image and video analytics systems, and the like. In many cases, these disparate monitoring systems do not communicate with out another, and may report information to disparate control systems, or via system-specific displays, leading to an abundance of information which may not easily be digestible by the operators of the infrastructure. For instance, operators may need to look at or swap between multiple different programs or screens to access different information, and may not have access to a holistic view in a single display. For example, document <CIT> describes a guidance processing apparatus and a guidance method based on pieces of guidance information limited to a target area. Documents <CIT> and <CIT> also disclose similar techniques.

Additionally, depending on how the disparate monitoring systems are deployed, information obtained by one system may be reported differently from information obtained by a different system. For example, the classifying of information may be done differently from one system to the next, leading to confusion when different systems are reporting different information for the same zone of the installation, or are reporting similar information for different zones.

As such, improvements to monitoring systems may be desirable.

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more implementations in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of such implementations. The geographical location is composed of multiple geographically-distinct zones, each being assigned a particular physical process which is monitored by one or more sensors. The monitoring may be performed using a processing area framework which is used to model an installation as several modules, called processing areas, which can be linked together by inputs and outputs of the processing areas to represent how the flow units move between the processing areas. The processing areas include activity modules and sensors which process the flow units moving within the geographic zone associated with the processing area. The present disclosure additionally describes, inter alia, methods, systems, devices, and computer-readable media for monitoring flow information in the form of flow units within a geographical location.

In accordance with a broad aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of monitoring a flow of flow units within a geographical location composed of a plurality of geographically distinct zones having assigned thereto a respective physical process monitored by at least one sensor. The method comprises: establishing a plurality of processing areas for data segregation within the geographical location, each processing area being associated with a respective one of the plurality of geographically distinct zones; generating, for each processing area, an activity module based on the physical process assigned to the associated geographically distinct zone, each activity module associated with a type of flow unit, defining an input for obtaining input flow units and an output for outputting output flow units, and performing processing of the flow units therebetween using input obtained from the at least one sensor monitoring the respective physical process assigned to the respective associated zone; and linking the plurality of processing areas by coupling activity modules across different processing areas, comprising linking the flow outputs with the flow inputs of different activity modules, thereby segregating data processing across the different processing areas.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, said establishing the plurality of processing areas within the geographical location comprises associating separate enclosed portions within the geographical location to separate processing areas.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, said establishing the plurality of processing areas within the geographical location comprises subdividing an enclosed portion of the geographical location into multiple of the geographically distinct zones and associating a respective processing area thereto.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, said generating the activity module for each processing area comprises selecting the activity module to be generated for each processing area from a plurality of predetermined activity modules based on the respective physical process assigned to the respective associated zone.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, said linking the plurality of processing areas comprises linking a first output of a first activity module, associated with a first type of flow unit, with a first input of a second activity module, associated with a second type of flow unit, via a conversion to convert flow information of the first type of flow unit to flow information of the second type of flow unit.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, said linking the plurality of processing areas comprises linking a first output of a first activity module to a first input of a second activity module, and linking a second output of the first activity module to a first input of a third activity module.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, the first output of the first activity module is associated with a first type of flow unit, and wherein the second output of the first activity module is associated with a second type of flow unit.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, the first and second outputs of the first activity module are associated with a common type of flow unit, and wherein said linking comprises dividing output flow units from the first activity module into the first input of the second activity module and the first input of the third activity module.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, said dividing is updated in response to newly acquired flow information within the geographical location.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, said dividing is based on historical data acquired within the geographical location.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, said associating the activity module of each processing area with the at least one sensor disposed proximate to the associated zone comprises associating a first activity module with at least one first sensor being configured to acquire flow information of a same type of flow unit as is associated with the first activity module.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, a first activity module is associated with a plurality of types of flow units, and wherein the at least one sensor monitoring the physical process assigned to the geographically distinct zone with which the first activity module is associated comprises a plurality of sensors including, for each of the plurality of types of flow units, at least one first sensor configured to acquire flow information of a respective type of flow unit.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, the method comprises simulating the flow of flow units by: generating simulated input flow units for an input of at least one of the activity modules; and simulating a response of the activity modules based on the simulated input flow units.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, said generating simulated input flow units comprises generating simulated sensor input for at least one activity module, the simulated sensor input based on the respective at least one sensor monitoring the physical process assigned to the geographically distinct zone with which the at least one activity module is associated.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, the method comprises updating at least one of a conversion ratio of a conversion associated with at least some of the activity modules and a dividing ratio of a division associated with the at least some of the activity modules based on the simulated response of the activity modules.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, said generating the activity module for each processing area comprises generating, for a first processing area associated with a customs zone having assigned thereto a customs process, an activity module based on the customs process and associated with a first type of flow unit indicative of an individual person.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, said generating the activity module for each processing area comprises generating, for a first processing area associated with a baggage sorting zone having assigned thereto a baggage sorting process, an activity module based on the baggage sorting process and associated with a first type of flow unit indicative of a baggage element.

In at least some embodiments according to any one or more of the previous embodiments, said generating the activity module for each processing area comprises generating, for a first processing area associated with a apron zone having assigned thereto a taxiing process, an activity module based on the taxiing process and associated with a first type of flow unit indicative of an individual aircraft.

In accordance with another broad aspect, the present disclosure provides a system for monitoring a flow of flow units within a geographical location composed of a plurality of geographically distinct zones having assigned thereto a respective physical process monitored by at least one sensor. The system comprises a processing unit and a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The non-transitory computer-readable medium has stored thereon instructions, which are executable by the processing unit for: establishing a plurality of processing areas for data segregation within the geographical location, each processing area being associated with a respective one of the plurality of geographically distinct zones; generating, for each processing area, an activity module based on the physical process assigned to the associated geographically distinct zone, each activity module associated with a type of flow unit, defining an input for obtaining input flow units and an output for outputting output flow units, and performing processing of the flow units therebetween using input obtained from the at least one sensor monitoring the respective physical process assigned to the respective associated zone; and linking the plurality of processing areas by coupling activity modules across different processing areas, comprising linking the flow outputs with the flow inputs of different activity modules, thereby segregating data processing across the different processing areas.

In accordance with a further broad aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processing unit. The execution of the instructions cause the processing unit to monitor a flow of flow units within a geographical location, comprising: establishing a plurality of processing areas for data segregation within a geographical location composed of a plurality of geographically distinct zones having assigned thereto a respective physical process monitored by at least one sensor, each processing area being associated with a respective one of the plurality of geographically distinct zones; generating, for each processing area, an activity module based on the physical process assigned to the associated geographically distinct zone, each activity module associated with a type of flow unit, defining an input for obtaining input flow units and an output for outputting output flow units, and performing processing of the flow units therebetween using input obtained from the at least one sensor monitoring the respective physical process assigned to the respective associated zone; and linking the plurality of processing areas by coupling activity modules across different processing areas, comprising linking the flow outputs with the flow inputs of different activity modules, thereby segregating data processing across the different processing areas.

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings. The following brief descriptions of the drawings should not be considered limiting in any fashion.

The present disclosure relates to methods, systems, devices, and computer-readable media for monitoring flow information in the form of flow units within a geographical location. Flow units may be used to represent the flow of various different entities, including persons, groups of persons, other living creatures, vehicles, as well different types of objects, such as baggage, packages or other mail items, or the like. For example, a single flow unit may be used to represent a single person, a single vehicle, a single piece of baggage, or the like, or may be used to represent a group of persons, vehicles, baggage, or the like, which flow together as a whole in a particular context. Many embodiments of the present disclosure will be presented in the context of certain infrastructure installations, for instance within the context of an airport. It should be understood, however, that the techniques described herein may be applied to a variety of different contexts, in which flow units are used to monitor the flow of various different objects.

With reference to <FIG>, a schematic diagram of an airport <NUM> is presented. The airport <NUM> includes both outdoor and indoor installations; for simplicity, the indoor installations of the airport <NUM> are illustrated inside building <NUM>, but it should be understood that other airports may include multiple buildings through which indoor installations may be distributed. Additionally, the installations described in the present disclosure should not be considered as limiting: in other scenarios, the airport <NUM> may include other indoor and outdoor installations, as appropriate, and the techniques described herein may be applied to the other installations in any suitable fashion.

The outdoor installations, as well as the main building <NUM>, are composed of different zones which are geographically distinct from one another. That is to say, the airport <NUM> can be subdivided into different zones having definite geographical boundaries. Each zone is also assigned a specific physical process that is performed within that zone. In some cases, the boundaries between geographically distinct zones may be dictated by the physical structure of the installation. For example, one geographically distinct zone may be specified as such due to being an enclosed room, or due to being a zone having a clear division from other areas. In other cases, the boundaries may be defined in other ways: for instance, a common enclosed room may be subdivided into multiple zones, based on different or separate physical processes.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the airport <NUM> includes, as geographically distinct zones, a runway <NUM>, an apron <NUM> (sometimes referred to as the tarmac), parking slots <NUM>, where aircraft may be parked by respective gates <NUM>, as well as one or more parking installations <NUM> where travellers may park their cars or other vehicles. The runway <NUM> is associated with the physical process of allowing takeoff and landing of aircraft <NUM>. The apron <NUM> is associated with the physical process of taxiing the aircraft <NUM>, for instance between the runway <NUM> and the parking slots <NUM>, or between other installations of the airport <NUM>, which may include maintenance bays, refueling stations, hangars or other storage facilities, and the like. The parking slots <NUM> are associated with the physical process of coupling aircraft <NUM> with gates <NUM>, for instance for allowing passengers to embark or disembark from the aircraft <NUM>, to allow for baggage to be onboarded or offboarded from the aircraft <NUM>, for resupplying the aircraft <NUM>, or the like. The parking installation <NUM> is associated with the physical process of parking travellers' vehicles, and may also house other operations, including parking payment stands, vehicle rental locations, and the like.

The airport <NUM> also includes a number of indoor zones: gates <NUM>, a departures lobby <NUM>, an arrivals lobby <NUM>, customs zones <NUM>, <NUM>, a security zone <NUM>, a baggage claim <NUM>, a check-in zone <NUM>, and an entrance lobby <NUM>. The gates <NUM> are associated with the physical process of embarking or disembarking passengers on and from the aircraft <NUM>, and of loading and unloading cargo and supplies on and from the aircraft <NUM>. The departure and arrival lobbies <NUM>, <NUM> are associated with the physical process of admitting passengers to and from the gates <NUM>. Customs zones <NUM>, <NUM> are associated with the physical process of processing passengers for customs purposes. Security zone <NUM> is associated with the physical process of performing security screening of passengers. Baggage claim zone <NUM> is associated with the physical process of sorting baggage and returning it to passengers. Check-in zone <NUM> is associated with the physical process of checking-in passengers and to receiving their baggage. The entrance lobby <NUM> is associated with the physical process of directing passengers to other zones.

It should be noted that the airport <NUM> may include additional zones beyond those depicted in <FIG>, including muster areas, queueing areas, corridors linking the various zones, and the like. In some cases, a given zone may have multiple physical processes associated therewith, which may lead to the zone being subdivided into multiple sub-zones with respective physical processes. Additionally, the embodiments described herein may apply to airports having other zones and configurations thereof, for instance airports having multiple separate indoor installations and transit links therebetween. Moreover, the present disclosure may also apply to other installations or contexts which may be composed of other types of geographically distinct zones.

The physical processes assigned to the geographically distinct zones of the airport <NUM> are monitored via one or more sensors, indicated at <NUM>. Depending on the type of physical process assigned to a particular zone, and on the type of flow monitored within the particular zone, different types of sensors may be deployed. By way of an example, in zones where the monitoring is of flow units indicative of persons, the sensors <NUM> may include cameras, people counters, mobile phone monitors, and the like. For instance, a laser-based people counter can be positioned at an ingress point into a zone, to count the number of persons who enter into the zone based on how frequently the laser of the sensor is broken. By way of another example, in zones where the monitoring is of flow units indicative of baggage, the sensors <NUM> may include cameras, optical code readers, RFID readers, and the like. By way of a further example, in zones where the monitoring is of flow units indicative of vehicles, the sensors <NUM> may include radar sensors, cameras, stand-guidance systems, and the like. Additionally, although referred to herein as sensors <NUM>, it should be understood that other devices via which information may be acquired are also considered. By way of an example, monitoring of the physical processes in a particular zone may also be performed by acquiring information from various types of databases or analytics systems associated with a particular zone. For instance, within the runway <NUM> and/or the apron <NUM>, monitoring of flow units may include acquiring information from an automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADSB) system of one or more of the aircraft <NUM>, or from an airport operational database (AODB) maintained by a relevant authority or regulatory body. In another instance, the camera-type sensors may acquire images and/or video which may be provided to various analytics systems, which may extract additional information from the images and/or video, such as crowd size values, throughput evaluations, and the like. It should be understood that the use of flow units to monitor and model the flow of persons and/or objects through geographical spaces does not necessitate precise localization of each of the flow units within the geographical spaces. In certain embodiments, the monitoring and modelling of flow units may involve localizing flow units as broadly being located within a geographical space, as well as broadly transiting between geographical spaces, without knowing the precise location of those flow units inside the geographical spaces in question.

With additional reference to <FIG>, a schematic view of the departures lobby <NUM> and of some of the gates <NUM> is illustrated. As noted hereinabove, to monitor flow units, different processing areas for data segregation may be established within the geographical location. In some cases, certain structures of the airport <NUM> may be subdivided into multiple geographically distinct zones for monitoring of flow units. As flow units represent a discretization of different types of flow, whether persons, objects, vehicles, or the like, flow units may be monitored on a per-zone basis in order to assess their importance within the geographically distinct zones, and flow between zones may be modeled accordingly.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the departures lobby <NUM> has established therein three processing areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, which correspond to waiting areas within the departures lobby <NUM> for gates <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM>, and <NUM><NUM>, respectively. Additionally, each of the gates <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM>, and <NUM><NUM> has established therein a respective processing area <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. The processing areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are defined by the geographical boundaries for the associated geographically distinct zone. Thus, the processing area <NUM>, which is associated with a waiting area for gate <NUM><NUM>, includes a relevant seating area and a boarding gate, where the physical process of assembling passengers to pass through the gate <NUM><NUM> occurs. Similarly, the processing area <NUM>, which is associated with the gate <NUM><NUM>, includes the area of the gate <NUM><NUM>, where the physical process of, in the case of departures, embarking passengers on one of the aircraft <NUM>, and of loading cargo and supplies on the aircraft <NUM>. The physical process of assembling passengers, occurring in the waiting area for gate <NUM><NUM>, may be monitored by the cameras <NUM> disposed within the departures lobby <NUM>. It should be noted that the cameras <NUM> need not be disposed within the geographically distinct zone associated with the processing area <NUM> to monitor the physical process occurring therein. Additionally, the cameras <NUM> disposed within the departures area <NUM> may be used to monitor the physical processes occurring withing geographically distinct zones of the three processing areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> within the departures lobby <NUM>. Similarly, person counters may be located at respective entrances of the gates <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM>, and <NUM><NUM>, and may be used to monitor, at least in part, the physical processes occurring therein. It should be noted that additional sensors <NUM> may be used to monitor the physical processes, including additional cameras <NUM>, additional person counters <NUM>, or the like.

By establishing the processing areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, the flow of flow units between the processing areas, as well as from a preceding processing area <NUM> (associated, e.g., with the customs <NUM> and/or the security zone <NUM>) can be monitored. The flow units within the departures lobby <NUM> and the gates <NUM> are processed separately based on the processing area in which they are present: data acquired, for example by the cameras <NUM>, about the flow units within the processing area <NUM> is used to model flow within the geographically distinct zone associated with the processing area <NUM>. In this fashion, data acquired about one of the processing areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> is processed separately from the data acquired about the other processing areas, thereby segregating the flow information from one processing area to the next. Additionally, flow units (e.g., persons, baggage, etc.) will flow from one processing area to another, for instance from the processing area <NUM> to the processing area <NUM>. The flow of flow units from one processing area to the next can be monitored based on information acquired from sensors in downstream processing areas, and also via modelling of the physical process occurring with the associated geographically distinct zone, as will be described in greater detail hereinbelow. Monitoring of the flow of flow units between processing areas, for example between the processing areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, may allow operators of the airport <NUM> to identify potential issues before they occur. For instance, operators may be able to pre-emptively identify a large flow of flow units about to arrive at a particular processing area, and dispatch security personnel or other agents to account for the flow. Operators may also be able to alert security personnel of potential issues, to identify potential problem areas within the airport, and the like.

With additional reference to <FIG>, a schematic diagram of the runway <NUM>, apron <NUM>, and parking slots <NUM> is illustrated. A processing area <NUM> is established for the runway <NUM>, a processing area <NUM> for the apron <NUM>, and multiple processing areas <NUM> are established for the parking slots <NUM> (e.g., processing areas <NUM>', <NUM>", etc.). Sensors which monitor the physical processes with the runway <NUM>, apron <NUM>, and parking slots <NUM> may include various cameras, a radar tower <NUM>, the ADSB systems of the aircraft <NUM> and other sensors, as appropriate. Additionally, databases and analytics services may be used as sources of flow information, for instance the aforementioned AODB, and the like. In the processing areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, flow of flow units representing aircraft <NUM>, or vehicles more generally (e.g., to account for the presence of service vehicles, other passenger transport vehicles, and the like) may be monitored. Monitoring of the flow of flow units between processing areas, for example between the processing areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, may allow operators of the airport <NUM> to pre-emptively dispatch additional service vehicles in response to increased flow through the processing areas <NUM> and <NUM>, or to prepare additional security personnel and other staff at the gates <NUM> in response to increased flow at the processing areas <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the airport <NUM> may be modeled as a series of processing areas (collectively identified at <NUM>) to monitor the flow of flow units within the airport <NUM>. It should be understood that the representation of the airport <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> is an example, and that the airport <NUM> could be modeled differently, with a different arrangement of processing areas <NUM>, as appropriate. As illustrated in <FIG>, the airport <NUM> is modeled as composed of the following processing areas: a runway processing area <NUM>, an apron processing area <NUM>, parking slot processing areas <NUM>, gate processing areas <NUM>, a departures lobby processing area <NUM>, an arrivals lobby processing area <NUM>, baggage processing system processing areas <NUM>, customs processing areas <NUM>, <NUM>, a security processing area <NUM>, a baggage claim processing area <NUM>, a check-in processing area <NUM>, an entrance lobby processing area <NUM>, and a traveller parking processing area <NUM>.

As noted hereinabove, different physical processes take place in the different geographically distinct zones associated with the processing areas <NUM>. To this end, activity modules are generated for each of the processing areas <NUM>: the activity modules are based on the physical process assigned to the associated zone and are associated with a type of flow unit. The activity modules define an input for obtaining input flow units and an output for outputting output flow units, and perform processing of flow units therebetween. Additionally, the activity modules obtain input from the sensor(s) which monitor the physical processes assigned to the zone in question, which is additionally processed by the activity module. In some embodiments, one or more of the processing areas may have multiple activity modules generated therefor: the multiple activity modules may relate to different physical processes occurring concurrently in the same geographically distinct zone, and in some cases may also be associated with different types of flow units. For instance, the check-in processing area <NUM> may include two separate activity modules: a first for processing flow units relating to passengers, and a second for processing flow units relating to baggage being checked for stowing. Each of the activity modules may have respective flow inputs and flow units, and may obtain flow information from separate sensors, or from shared sensors, as appropriate.

In the example of <FIG>, the runway processing area <NUM> is provided with an activity module <NUM>, the apron processing area <NUM> is provided with an activity module <NUM>, the parking slot processing areas <NUM> are provided with activity modules <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>", <NUM>‴, the gate processing areas <NUM> are provided with activity modules <NUM>, <NUM>', <NUM>", <NUM>'", the departures lobby processing area <NUM> is provided with an activity module <NUM>, the arrivals lobby processing area <NUM> is provided with an activity module <NUM>, the baggage processing system processing areas <NUM> are provided with activity modules <NUM>, <NUM>', customs processing areas <NUM>, <NUM> are provided with respective activity modules <NUM>, <NUM>, the security processing area <NUM> is provided with an activity module <NUM>, the baggage claim processing area <NUM> is provided with an activity module <NUM>, the check-in processing area <NUM> is provided with an activity module <NUM>, the entrance lobby processing area <NUM> is provided with an activity module <NUM>, and the traveller parking processing area <NUM> is provided with an activity module <NUM>.

In some embodiments, some of the activity modules <NUM> may be generated for their associated processing area by selecting a template activity module, for instance from a plurality of predetermined activity modules. The predetermined activity modules may each be associated with a particular physical process, and the activity module for a particular processing area may be selected based on the physical process assigned to the geographically distinct zone associated with the processing area. In some other embodiments, an implementation of the present disclosure may involve generating customized activity modules, depending on the physical processes occurring in the geographically distinct zones.

To monitor and model the flow of flow units from one processing area to the next, the processing areas are linked by coupling the activity modules <NUM> across the different processing areas. The coupling of the activity modules includes linking the flow outputs of some of the activity modules <NUM> with the flow inputs of other ones of the activity modules <NUM>. In this fashion, the processing of the flow information is segregated across the different processing areas, whilst still allowing the flow of flow information between the processing areas to occur. The linking of outputs and inputs of the activity modules <NUM> is performed, for instance, to mirror the flows of flow units across the airport <NUM>. By way of an example, the entrance lobby processing area <NUM> includes an output coupled to an input of the check-in processing area <NUM> activity module <NUM> and an output coupled to an input of the traveller parking processing area <NUM> activity module <NUM>. The entrance lobby processing area <NUM> also includes a first input coupled to an output of the baggage claim processing area <NUM> activity module <NUM>, a second input coupled to an output of the arrivals lobby processing area <NUM> activity module <NUM>, and a third input coupled to an output of the traveller parking processing area <NUM> activity module <NUM>. Thus, the activity module <NUM> of the entrance lobby processing area <NUM> receives inputs from three other activity modules, as well as from one or more sensors, and produces outputs to two other activity modules, while processing the flow information relevant to the entrance lobby processing area <NUM> within the activity module <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, an embodiment of a processing area <NUM> is illustrated. The processing area <NUM> includes an activity module <NUM> and defines a flow input <NUM> and flow output <NUM>. The flow input <NUM> may receive input flow units from other processing areas <NUM>, as well as from sensors <NUM>. The activity module <NUM> may be associated with one or more specific types of flow units, and obtains input flow units via the flow input <NUM> of the types of flow units with which the activity module <NUM> is associated. For example, the processing area <NUM> may be indicative of a waiting room, and the activity module <NUM> is associated with flow units representative of persons. The flow input <NUM> therefore obtains input flow units indicative of persons, whether from sensors <NUM> (e.g., person counters, cameras, etc.), or from another processing area <NUM>. The flow units output by the flow output <NUM> of the activity module <NUM> may be of a same type of flow unit, or of different types. For example, the activity module may perform a conversion of flow units from one type to another prior to outputting the flow units, for instance via a conversion module (which may form part of the activity module). The conversion may vary over time, for instance in response to newly acquired input flow units within the processing area <NUM>.

Additionally, although illustrated here as a singular flow input <NUM> and a singular flow output <NUM>, it should be understood that the activity module may include multiple flow inputs <NUM> and flow output <NUM>. In some embodiments, the activity module <NUM> is linked to multiple other activity modules <NUM> via separate flow outputs <NUM>. For example, a first flow output <NUM> may be associated with a first type of flow unit, and a second flow output <NUM> may be associated with a second type of flow unit. The first flow output <NUM> may be coupled to the flow input <NUM> of a first other activity module <NUM> associated with the first type of flow unit, and the second flow output <NUM> may be coupled to a flow input <NUM> of a second other activity module <NUM> associated with the second type of flow unit. By way of another example, the other activity modules <NUM> to which the activity module <NUM> is coupled may be associated with the same type of flow unit. In this case, the activity module <NUM> can divide the output flow units into multiple flow outputs <NUM>. The division of the output flow units can be based on particular flow information acquired from the sensors <NUM>, or from other information available to the activity module <NUM>, as appropriate. For instance, the activity module <NUM> may have access to, or otherwise be provided with, historical information about how output flow units flow to the various other activity modules <NUM> coupled to the flow output(s) <NUM>. The activity module <NUM> may use the historical information about output flow units to model the output flow units being output by the flow output <NUM> to the other activity modules <NUM>. Additionally, the activity module <NUM> may use newly acquired input flow units within the processing area <NUM>, or other newly acquired flow information, to determine how to divide the output flow units.

In some embodiments, the processing area <NUM> may include multiple activity modules, which may relate to different physical processes occurring concurrently in the same geographically distinct zone, or to distinct instances of the same physical process occurring concurrently in the same geographically distinct zone. In some cases, the multiple activity modules may also be associated with different types of flow units. Each of the activity modules may have respective flow inputs and flow units, and may obtain flow information from separate sensors, or from shared sensors, as appropriate.

With reference to <FIG>, an example implementation of the runway processing area <NUM> is illustrated. The runway processing area <NUM> includes a runway activity module <NUM>, with a flow input <NUM> and a flow output <NUM>. The flow input <NUM> may receive flow inputs from multiple sensors, illustrated here as including a radar system <NUM>, one or more cameras <NUM>, and an ADSB system <NUM>. Since the runway processing area <NUM> acts as a starting point for incoming flow units (indicative of aircraft <NUM>), the runway activity module <NUM> may not be coupled to any other activity modules <NUM> via the flow input <NUM>. Alternatively, the flow input <NUM> may be coupled to a flow output of the activity module <NUM> of the apron processing area <NUM>, as aircraft <NUM> may move from the apron <NUM> to the runway <NUM> to prepare for takeoff. The flow output <NUM> of the runway activity module <NUM> may also be coupled to the activity module <NUM> of the apron processing area <NUM>, as aircraft which have landed on the runway <NUM> may then move to the apron <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, an example implementation of the parking processing area <NUM> is illustrated. The parking processing area <NUM> includes a parking activity module <NUM>, with a flow input <NUM> and a flow output <NUM>. The flow input <NUM> may receive flow inputs from multiple sensors, illustrated here as including a stand guidance system <NUM>, one or more analytics systems <NUM>, which may be based on images and/or video acquired from various cameras, and an AODB <NUM>. The flow input <NUM> may be coupled to the flow output <NUM> of the runway activity module <NUM> and/or to a flow output of the apron activity module <NUM>, thereby receiving input flow units indicative of aircraft <NUM>, and the like. The flow output <NUM> may be coupled to a flow input of an activity module <NUM> associated with the gate processing area <NUM>. As the parking activity module <NUM> receives input flow units indicative of aircraft <NUM>, and as the activity module <NUM> associated with the gate processing area <NUM> may be associated with a type of flow unit indicative of a flow of persons, baggage, and the like, the parking activity module <NUM> may perform a conversion of flow units from an aircraft type to a person type, to a baggage type, and/or to any other suitable type, in order to provide the activity module <NUM> associated with the gate processing area <NUM> with appropriate flow unit inputs.

With reference to <FIG>, an example implementation of the security processing area <NUM> is illustrated. The security processing area <NUM> includes a security activity module <NUM>, with a flow input <NUM> and a flow output <NUM>. The flow input <NUM> may receive flow inputs from multiple sensors, illustrated here as including a camera <NUM>, a security desk <NUM>, and one or more people counters <NUM>. In this context, the security desk <NUM> may be equipped with sensors configured for evaluation flow of flow units indicative of people, baggage, and the like. Alternatively, the security desk <NUM> operated by the security personnel may be configured to produce flow units as part of processing passengers and their baggage, which may then be provided to the security activity module <NUM> via the flow input <NUM>. Additionally, the flow input <NUM> may be coupled to flow outputs of other activity modules <NUM>, for instance the activity module <NUM> of the check-in processing area <NUM> and, in some cases, the activity module <NUM> of the entrance lobby processing area <NUM>. The flow output <NUM> of the security activity module <NUM> may be coupled to a flow input of an activity module <NUM> associated with the customs processing area <NUM>, and to a flow input of an activity module <NUM> associated with the departures lobby processing area <NUM>. As the security activity module <NUM> receives input flow units indicative of both persons and baggage, the security activity module <NUM> may provide output flow units of the same types to the activity modules <NUM>, <NUM>, as appropriate.

With reference to <FIG>, an example implementation of the check-in processing area <NUM> is illustrated. The check-in processing area <NUM> includes a check-in activity module <NUM>, with a flow input <NUM> and a flow output <NUM>. The flow input <NUM> may receive flow inputs from multiple sensors, illustrated here as including a camera <NUM>, a check-in desk <NUM>, and one or more people counters <NUM>. In this context, the check-in desk445 may be equipped with sensors configured for evaluation flow of flow units indicative of people, baggage, and the like. Alternatively, the check-in desk <NUM> operated by the airline personnel may be configured to produce flow units as part of processing passengers and their baggage, which may then be provided to the check-in activity module <NUM> via the flow input <NUM>. Additionally, the flow input <NUM> may be coupled to flow outputs of other activity modules <NUM>, for instance the activity module <NUM> of the entrance lobby processing area <NUM>. Because the check-in activity module <NUM> processes flow units relating to both passengers and baggage, the check-in activity module <NUM> may output flow units of different types to different other activity modules. For example, the flow output <NUM> may output flow units indicative of passengers to the security activity module <NUM> and flow units indicative of baggage to an activity module <NUM> of the baggage handling system processing area <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, there is illustrated a schematic diagram of an example computing device <NUM>. As depicted, the computing device <NUM> includes at least one processing unit <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, and program instructions <NUM> stored within the memory <NUM>, as well as input and output interfaces (I/O interfaces) <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively. For simplicity, only one computing device <NUM> is shown, but any computing systems used to implement the processing area framework, including the activity modules <NUM>, may be embodied by one or more implementations of the computing device <NUM>. The computing devices <NUM> may be the same or different types of devices. The components of the computing device <NUM> may be connected in various ways including directly coupled, indirectly coupled via a network, and distributed over a wide geographic area and connected via a network, for instance via a cloud computing implementation.

The I/O interfaces <NUM>, <NUM> may include one or more media interfaces, via which removable media or other data sources may be coupled, one or more network interfaces, or any other suitable type of interface. The I/O interfaces <NUM>, <NUM> of the computing device <NUM> may additionally, in some embodiments, provide interconnection functionality to one or more input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, camera, touch screen and a microphone, or with one or more output devices such as a display screen and a speaker. In embodiments in which the I/O interfaces <NUM>, <NUM> include one or more network interfaces, the network interface(s) of the computing device <NUM> may enable the computing device <NUM> to communicate with other components, to exchange data with other components, to access and connect to network resources, to serve applications, and perform other computing applications by connecting to a network (or multiple networks) capable of carrying data including the Internet, Ethernet, plain old telephone service (POTS) line, public switch telephone network (PSTN), integrated services digital network (ISDN), digital subscriber line (DSL), coaxial cable, fiber optics, satellite, mobile, wireless (e.g. Wi-Fi, WiMAX), SS7 signaling network, fixed line, local area network, wide area network, and others, including any combination of these.

The processing unit <NUM> may be, for example, any type of general-purpose microprocessor or microcontroller, a digital signal processing (DSP) processor, an integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a reconfigurable processor, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), or any combination thereof. The memory <NUM> may include a suitable combination of any type of computer memory that is located either internally or externally such as, for example, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), electro-optical memory, magneto-optical memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) or the like.

In certain embodiments, the computing device <NUM> is operable to register and authenticate users (using a login, unique identifier, and password for example) prior to providing access to applications, a local network, network resources, other networks and network security devices. The computing device <NUM> may serve one user or multiple users.

For example, and without limitation, the computing device <NUM> may be a server, network appliance, set-top box, embedded device, computer expansion module, personal computer, laptop, personal data assistant, cellular telephone, smartphone device, UMPC tablets, video display terminal, gaming console, electronic reading device, and wireless hypermedia device or any other computing device capable of being configured to carry out the methods and/or implementing the systems described herein.

With reference to <FIG>, there is illustrated a method <NUM> for monitoring a flow of flow units within a geographical location, for instance the airport <NUM>. The geographical location is composed of a plurality of geographically distinct zones, for instance as illustrated in <FIG>, which have assigned thereto respective physical processes. The physical processes may be monitored by one or more sensors, as described hereinabove. The method <NUM>, in some embodiments, is implemented by the computing device <NUM>, which may be a computing device belonging to or otherwise operated by an entity responsible for the geographical location.

At step <NUM>, the method <NUM> includes establishing a plurality of processing areas for data segregation within the geographical location. Each of the processing areas is associated with a respective one of the plurality of geographically distinct zones, for instance as illustrated in <FIG>. The processing areas may be associated with separate enclosed portions within the geographical location, may relate to subdivisions within enclosed spaces, or the like.

At step <NUM>, the method <NUM> includes generating, for each processing area, an activity module based on the physical process assigned to the associated geographically distinct zone, for instance the activity modules <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>, an example of which is the activity module <NUM> of <FIG>. Each of the activity modules <NUM> is associated with a type of flow unit and defines an input for obtaining input flow units and an output for outputting output flow units, for instance the flow input <NUM> and the flow output <NUM> of the activity module <NUM>. Additionally, the activity modules <NUM> performing processing of the flow units between the flow input <NUM> and the flow output <NUM>, using input obtained from the at least one sensor (e.g., the sensor(s) <NUM>) monitoring the respective physical process assigned to the respective zone associated to the processing area. The activity modules <NUM> may be generated by selecting one or more predetermined activity modules based on the associated physical processes, where templates or the like exist. In some embodiments, one or more of the processing areas may have multiple activity modules generated therefor: the multiple activity modules may relate to different physical processes occurring concurrently in the same geographically distinct zone, and in some cases may also be associated with different types of flow units.

At step <NUM>, the method <NUM> includes linking the processing areas by coupling the activity modules <NUM> across different processing areas, for instance as illustrated in <FIG>. The coupling of the activity modules <NUM> includes linking the flow outputs <NUM> of some of the activity modules <NUM> with the flow inputs <NUM> of different activity modules <NUM>, thereby segregating data processing across the different processing areas <NUM>. The activity modules <NUM> thereby process the flow units for their related geographically distinct zone within themselves, whilst allowing flow unit to flow between processing areas via the flow inputs and output <NUM>, <NUM>. This may include converting and/or dividing certain output flows of flow unit depending on the type of flow units processed by a particular activity module, and the type of flow units with which the activity module receiving the flow units is associated.

In some embodiments, as part of the method <NUM>, simulation of the activity modules may be performed. Although illustrated as forming part of the method <NUM>, it should be understood that the following steps may be performed at a time different than that at which the preceding steps are performed, and that in some embodiments some or all of the following steps may be performed independently of some or all of the preceding steps.

At step <NUM>, the method <NUM> includes generated simulated input flow units for a flow input <NUM> of at least one of the activity modules <NUM>. The simulated input flow units may include any suitable number of flow units, for instance to test maximum and/or minimum responses of the activity modules <NUM>, or any other suitable input level. In some embodiments, the simulated input flow units may correspond to particular test cases for the activity modules <NUM>, for instance based on historical data acquired from the airport <NUM>. In some embodiments, the simulated input flow units include generated simulated sensor input for the one or more activity modules <NUM>. The simulated input flow units may be based on the particular sensors <NUM> associated with each of the activity modules <NUM>, which serve to monitor the physical process assigned to the geographically distinct zones with which the processing areas of the activity modules <NUM> are associated. The simulated input flow units, whether simulated as coming from sensors <NUM> or from other activity modules <NUM>, may be placed at any of the flow inputs <NUM> of the activity modules <NUM>. Put differently, the simulated input flow units may be used to simulate an arbitrary state for the activity modules <NUM>, in order to prepare for eventual scenarios and/or to test the limits of the infrastructure installation, in this case the airport <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, the method <NUM> comprises simulating a response of the activity modules <NUM> based on the simulated input flow units. This may involve causing the simulated input flow units to be processed by the activity modules <NUM> in the processing areas to produce output flow units, which then move on to others of the activity modules <NUM> via the flow outputs <NUM>. The simulation may be performed for any suitable length of time, and may involve simulating further input flow units to the activity modules <NUM> at other times. At step <NUM>, the method <NUM> comprises updating a conversion ratio and/or a division ratio for some of the activity modules <NUM>, based on the simulated response of the activity modules. Updates to the conversion ratio and/or division ratio of one or more of the activity modules <NUM> may be performed in order to perform different simulations, and therefore to see the response of the activity modules <NUM> under different conditions, or to account for information determined about the activity modules <NUM> as part of the simulation.

The present disclosure provides a framework for segregating data for processing between different processing areas via activity modules. By linking the activity modules together, the flow of flow units between different processing areas can be modeled, while allowing the processing of flow units to occur on a per-processing area basis. The present disclosure may be used to facilitate the monitoring of flow of flow units through a geographic location, and to standardize the acquisition and processing of data relating to the flow units.

The embodiments of the methods, systems, devices, and computer-readable media described herein may be implemented in a combination of both hardware and software. These embodiments may be implemented on programmable computers, each computer including at least one processor, a data storage system (including volatile memory or non-volatile memory or other data storage elements or a combination thereof), and at least one communication interface.

Program code is applied to input data to perform the functions described herein and to generate output information. The output information is applied to one or more output devices. In some embodiments, the communication interface may be a network communication interface. In embodiments in which elements may be combined, the communication interface may be a software communication interface, such as those for inter-process communication. In still other embodiments, there may be a combination of communication interfaces implemented as hardware, software, and combination thereof.

Throughout the foregoing discussion, numerous references have been made regarding servers, services, interfaces, portals, platforms, or other systems formed from computing devices. It should be appreciated that the use of such terms is deemed to represent one or more computing devices having at least one processor configured to execute software instructions stored on a computer readable tangible, non-transitory medium. For example, a server can include one or more computers operating as a web server, database server, or other type of computer server in a manner to fulfill described roles, responsibilities, or functions.

The foregoing discussion provides many example embodiments. Although each embodiment represents a single combination of inventive elements, other examples may include all possible combinations of the disclosed elements. Thus, if one embodiment comprises elements A, B, and C, and a second embodiment comprises elements B and D, other remaining combinations of A, B, C, or D, may also be used.

The embodiments described herein pervasively and integrally relate to machines, and their uses; and at least some of the embodiments described herein have no meaning or practical applicability outside their use with computer hardware, machines, and various hardware components.

Although the embodiments have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the scope as defined by the appended claims.

Claim 1:
A method of monitoring a flow of flow units within a geographical location composed of a plurality of geographically distinct zones having assigned thereto a respective physical process monitored by at least one sensor, characterized in that the method comprises:
- establishing a plurality of processing areas for data segregation within the geographical location, each processing area being associated with a respective one of the plurality of geographically distinct zones;
- generating, for each processing area, an activity module based on the physical process assigned to the associated geographically distinct zone, each activity module associated with a type of flow unit, defining an input for obtaining input flow units and an output for outputting output flow units, and performing processing of the flow units therebetween using input obtained from the at least one sensor monitoring the respective physical process assigned to the respective associated zone; and
- linking the plurality of processing areas by coupling activity modules across different processing areas, comprising linking the flow outputs with the flow inputs of different activity modules, thereby segregating data processing across the different processing areas.