Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

• US 10,346,992 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2015
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsurumi, Shingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Couso, Jose L
• Application Number:
  US15/318,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20170140547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/24 for measuring contours or curvatures
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/26 for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0426 tracking fingers with respect to a virtual keyboard projected or printed on the surface virtual keyboards on touch screens G06F3/04886
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT

Abstract

There is provided an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that are capable of detecting contact with high precision at low cost, the information processing apparatus including a contact determination unit. The contact determination unit determines contact of an operation body with a target object on the basis of a change in a normal line vector on a surface of the target object, the target object being an operation target of the operation body.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

an object recognition processing unit configured to recognize an operation body and a target object included in an acquired image; and

a contact determination unit configured to determine contact of the operation body with the target object on the basis of a change from a non-contact state in at least one normal line vector indicating deformation of a surface of the target object in an area around the operation body,

wherein an operation input is determined according to a position of the determined contact of the operation body with the surface of the target object,

wherein the target object is an operation target of the operation body, and

wherein the object recognition processing unit and the contact determination unit are each implemented via at least one processor.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the contact determination unit determines contact of the operation body with the target object depending on an inclination of the normal line vector in a direction of the operation body.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the contact determination unit determines contact of the operation body with the target object depending on disturbance of an inclination of the normal line vector.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

an input control unit configured to control the operation input on the basis of a determination result of the contact determination unit,

wherein the input control unit is implemented via at least one processor.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the input control unit controls the operation input on the basis of a shape of the operation body recognized by the object recognition processing unit and a determination result of the contact determination unit.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising

an image output unit configured to generate an operation target image superimposed on the target object,

wherein the input control unit controls the operation input on the basis of a positional relationship between the operation body and the target object in the operation target image, and

wherein the image output unit is implemented via at least one processor.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the contact determination unit determines that the operation body is in contact with the target object when an inclination of the normal line vector exceeds a threshold value.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the contact determination unit determines the threshold value depending on a kind of the target object.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the contact determination unit further determines the threshold value depending on the position of the determined contact of the operation body with the surface of the target object.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the contact determination unit is further configured to calculate a degree of contact of the operation body with the target object depending on a magnitude of the inclination of the normal line vector when the inclination of the normal line vector is larger than the threshold value.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the contact determination unit determines contact of the operation body with the target object on the basis of a change in a color of the acquired image when the target object is a rigid body, and determines contact of the operation body with the target object on the basis of the change in the normal line vector when the target object is not a rigid body.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the contact determination unit determines contact of the operation body with the target object on the basis of the change in the normal line vector when a distance between the target object and the operation body is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the contact determination unit is further configured to detect the normal line vector from the acquired image, and

wherein the acquired image is picked up by polarization imaging.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the target object comprises a palm.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the operation body comprises at least one of a finger or a stylus.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the contact determination unit determines contact of the operation body with the target object on the basis of a change in a plurality of normal line vectors.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to execute a method, the method comprising:

recognizing an operation body and a target object included in an acquired image; and

determining contact of the operation body with the target object on the basis of a change from a non-contact state in at least one normal line vector indicating deformation of a surface of the target object in an area around the operation body,

wherein an operation input is determined according to a position of the determined contact of the operation body with the surface of the target object, and

wherein the target object is an operation target of the operation body.

15. An information processing method, implemented via at least one processor, the method comprising:

recognizing an operation body and a target object included in an acquired image; and

determining contact of the operation body with the target object on the basis of a change from a non-contact state in at least one normal line vector indicating deformation of a surface of the target object in an area around the operation body,

wherein an operation input is determined according to a position of the determined contact of the operation body with the surface of the target object, and

wherein the target object is an operation target of the operation body.