US 11,806,881 B1
Artificial intelligence system for automatic tracking and behavior control of animatronic characters
Frederick N. Lietzman, Corona, CA (US); and Alexander Donald Birner, Corona, CA (US)
Assigned to Multimedia LED, Inc., Corona, CA (US)
Filed by Multimedia LED, Inc., Corona, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/343,262.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/036,938, filed on Jun. 9, 2020.
Int. Cl. B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B25J 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 9/1697 (2013.01) [B25J 9/1674 (2013.01); B25J 11/003 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An animatronics system for tracking people, and interacting with a target person, the animatronics system comprising:
an animatronic character having a camera, a speaker, and servo motors for controlling the movement of the animatronic character;
an enhanced interaction controller operably connected with the animatronics character, the enhanced interaction controller comprising a computer processor and a computer memory having an enhanced control program and a tracking program for tracking the person;
a show controller connected with the animatronic character through the enhanced interaction controller, the show controller comprising a computer processor and a computer memory having a control program for operatively controlling the animatronic character to perform a standard performance routine;
wherein the tracking program utilizes human presence detection, via input from the camera, to detect and recognize the people, and to determine the target person who is closest to the animatronic character;
wherein the enhanced control program performs the following steps:
determining when the target person passes through a middle boundary that is a predetermined distance from the animatronics character;
in response to the target person passing through the middle boundary, interrupting the standard performance routine of the show controller, moving the animatronic character to focus on the target person, and performing an enhanced performance routine from the enhanced interaction controller, the enhanced performance routine being specifically directed to the target person.