INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20080141181A1
• Filed: 12/06/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Taniguchi, Yasuhiro, ISHIGAKI, SATORU, Kazama, Hisashi, Ike, Tsukasa
• Application Number:
  US11/951,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20080141181A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

According to one embodiment, there is provided an information processing apparatus. A hand-shape database stores first data representing a first hand shape and second data representing a second hand shape. A hand-shape recognition unit determines whether a received image includes one of the first and second hand shapes. The hand-shape recognition unit outputs first predetermined information when the image includes the first hand shape, and outputs second predetermined information when the image includes the second hand shape. When the first predetermined information is received, a gesture interpretation unit displays on a display a user interface including display items each associated with an executable function, and selects one of the display items in accordance with the position information. When the second predetermined information is received in a state where one of the display items is selected, the gesture interpretation unit executes the function associated with the selected display item.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a display;

a hand-shape database which stores first data representing a first hand shape and second data representing a second hand shape;

a hand-shape recognition unit which receives an image supplied from a camera, determines whether or not the image includes one of the first hand shape and the second hand shape stored in the hand-shape database, outputs first predetermined information including position information representing a position of the first hand shape within the image when the image includes the first hand shape, and outputs second predetermined information when the image includes the second hand shape; and

a gesture interpretation unit which, when the first predetermined information is received from the hand-shape recognition unit, displays on the display a user interface including a plurality of display items each associated with an executable function, selects one of the display items in accordance with the position information included in the first predetermined information, and when the second predetermined information is received from the hand-shape recognition unit in a state where the one of the display items is selected, executes the executable function associated with the selected one of the display items.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first predetermined information includes the position information and a first identifier representing the first hand shape, and

the second predetermined information includes a second identifier representing the second hand shape.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises one of:

a first user interface including a plurality of buttons as the display items;

a second user interface including a plurality of slider bars as the display items; and

a third user interface including a plurality of dials as the display items.

4. An information processing method, comprising:

receiving an image supplied from a camera;

determining whether or not the image includes one of a first hand shape and a second hand shape stored in a hand-shape database;

outputting, when the image includes the first hand shape, first predetermined information including position information representing a position of the first hand shape within the image;

outputting, when the image includes the second hand shape, second predetermined information;

displaying, when the first predetermined information is output, on a display a user interface including a plurality of display items each associated with an executable function, and selecting one of the display items in accordance with the position information included in the first predetermined information; and

executing, when the second predetermined information is output in a state where the one of the display items is selected, the executable function associated with the selected one of the display items.

5. The information processing method according to claim 4, wherein the first predetermined information includes the position information and a first identifier representing the first hand shape, and

the second predetermined information includes a second identifier representing the second hand shape.

6. The information processing method according to claim 4, wherein the user interface comprises one of:

a first user interface including a plurality of buttons as the display items;

a second user interface including a plurality of slider bars as the display items; and

a third user interface including a plurality of dials as the display items.

7. A computer program product configured to store program instructions for execution on a computer system enabling the computer system to perform:

receiving an image supplied from a camera;

determining whether or not the image includes one of a first hand shape and a second hand shape stored in a hand-shape database;

outputting, when the image includes the first hand shape, first predetermined information including position information representing a position of the first hand shape within the image;

outputting, when the image includes the second hand shape, second predetermined information;

displaying, when the first predetermined information is output, on a display a user interface including a plurality of display items each associated with an executable function, and selecting one of the display items in accordance with the position information included in the first predetermined information; and

executing, when the second predetermined information is output in a state where the one of the display items is selected, the executable function associated with the selected one of the display items.

8. The computer program product according to claim 7, wherein the first predetermined information includes the position information and a first identifier representing the first hand shape, and

the second predetermined information includes a second identifier representing the second hand shape.

9. The computer program product according to claim 7, wherein the user interface comprises one of:

a first user interface including a plurality of buttons as the display items;

a second user interface including a plurality of slider bars as the display items; and

a third user interface including a plurality of dials as the display items.