Information input system

• US 20040041794A1
• Filed: 02/05/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NARA Institute of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: NARA Institute of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Kidode, Masatsugu, Kono, Yasuyuki, Terabe, Akihiro, Ukita, Norimichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,006,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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 3/0425 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

Abstract

There is provided an information input system enabling the realization of an input method easily understandable and operable by intuition. This information input system is provided with a camera 11 for picking up an image of a specified area including a fingertip OF of an operator and an input surface 17 as a photographed image, a contact discriminator 154 for discriminating whether or not the fingertip OF and the input surface 17 are in contact with each other by specifying the fingertip OF and the input surface 17 included in the photographed image, and a fingertip position detector 152 for detecting a relative position of the fingertip OF with respect to the input surface 17 when the contact discriminator 154 judges that the fingertip OF and the input surface 17 are in contact with each other.

Claims

1. An information input system for receiving an information inputted by an operator as an input information, comprising:

photographing means for picking up an image of a specified detection area including an operable object and a touchable object touchable by the operable object as a photographed image,

contact discriminating means for specifying the operable object and the touchable object from the photographed image to discriminate whether or not the operable object and the touchable object are in contact with each other,

detecting means for detecting a relative position of the operable object with respect to the touchable object if the contact discriminating means judges that the operable object and the touchable object are in contact with each other, and

receiving means for receiving a trace of the operable object on the touchable object as the input information by repeatedly detecting the relative position of the operable object with respect to the touchable object.

2. The information input system according to claim 1, wherein the photographing means includes an infrared image pickup means for picking an infrared image up as the photographed image, the contact discriminating means generates a differential histogram by applying a differential processing to the luminance values of pixels of the infrared image to calculate differential values of the respective pixels and discriminates whether or not the operable object and the touchable object are in contact with each other based on a variance value of the generated differential histogram.

3. The information input system according to claim 2, wherein the contact discriminating means discriminates whether or not the operable object and the touchable object are in contact with each other by comparing a threshold value stored beforehand with the variance value of the differential histogram.

4. The information input system according to claim 3, wherein the contact discriminating means obtains a specified function based on an average luminance value of the detection area and the variance value of the differential histogram corresponding to a distance between the photographing means and the touchable object when this distance is changed with the touchable object held in contact with the operable object, and dynamically sets the threshold value in accordance with the obtained specified function.

5. The information input system according to claim 4, wherein the specified function includes at least two linear functions obtained by approximating the variance values of the differential histogram.

6. The information input system according to claim 4, wherein the specified function is a function represented by a curve obtained by approximating the variance values of the differential histogram.

7. The information input system according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means transforms relative coordinates of the operable object with respect to the touchable object using a specified function for transforming the shape of the touchable object into a fixed area and stores the obtained coordinates in the storage.

8. The information input system according to claim 1, further comprising a display means for displaying the information received by the receiving means, wherein the photographing means is so constructed as to be integral to the display means.

9. The information input system according to claim 7, further comprising a display means for displaying the information received by the receiving means, wherein the photographing means is so constructed as to be integral to the display means.

10. The information input system according to claim 1, wherein the operable object is the operator'"'"'s finger and the touchable object is a flat member.

11. The information input system according to claim 3, wherein the operable object is the operator'"'"'s finger and the touchable object is a flat member.

12. The information input system according to claim 4, wherein the operable object is the operator'"'"'s finger and the touchable object is a flat member.

13. The information input system according to claim 1, wherein the photographing means includes a first photographing means for picking up the image of the specified detection area including the operable object and the touchable object as a first image and a second photographing means provided at a position different from the first photographing means for picking up the image of the specified detection area including the operable object and the touchable object as a second image, and the contact discriminating means discriminates whether or not the operable object and the touchable object are in contact with each other by the principle of trigonometric distance metering using the first and second photographed images.