GESTURE RECOGNITION FROM CO-ORDINATE DATA

• US 20090262986A1
• Filed: 04/22/2008
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cartey, Luke, Rowe, Martin J., Organ, Ben, Gummery, Thomas, Goldstein, Jenna
• Application Number:
  US12/107,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20090262986A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/426 Graphical representations
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113

Abstract

A method for gesture recognition may comprise: a) receiving a first plurality of coordinates defining a first position of a limb from an image capture device; b) mapping at least one of the first plurality of coordinates to a cell; c) generating a first list of cells including cells to which the at least one coordinate of the first plurality of coordinates is mapped; d) receiving a second plurality of coordinates defining a second position of a limb from an image capture device; e) mapping at least one coordinate of the second plurality of coordinates to a cell; f) generating a second list of cells including cells to which the at least one coordinate of the second plurality of coordinates is mapped; g) defining an avatar gesture comprising a sequence of at least the first list of cells and the second list of cells; h) receiving a sample sequence of coordinates defining a plurality of positions of a limb from an image capture device; i) mapping the sample sequence of coordinates to a sample sequence of cells; and j) pattern-matching at least a portion of the sample sequence of cells and an avatar gesture of a plurality of avatar gesture.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first plurality of coordinates defining a first position of a limb from an image capture device;

mapping at least one of the first plurality of coordinates to a cell;

generating a first list of cells including cells to which the at least one coordinate of the first plurality of coordinates is mapped;

receiving a second plurality of coordinates defining a second position of a limb from an image capture device;

mapping at least one coordinate of the second plurality of coordinates to a cell;

generating a second list of cells including cells to which the at least one coordinate of the second plurality of coordinates is mapped;

defining an avatar gesture comprising a sequence of at least the first list of cells and the second list of cells;

receiving a sample sequence of coordinates defining a plurality of positions of a limb from an image capture device;

mapping the sample sequence of coordinates to a sample sequence of cells; and

pattern-matching at least a portion of the sample sequence of cells and an avatar gesture of a plurality of avatar gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting an avatar gesture from of a plurality of avatar gestures having the highest degree of pattern-matching to the sample sequence of cells over the greatest period of time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell is defined by vector quantization.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell is defined by fixed coordinates.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing duplicate cells from at least one of the first list of cells and the second list of cells.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a temporal difference between a cell of an avatar gesture and a cell of a sample sequence of cells; and

selecting an avatar gesture from a plurality of avatar gestures according to the temporal difference.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining allowable cell paths for an avatar gesture;

selecting an avatar gesture as an interpretation of the sample sequence of cells only if the cell paths of the sample sequence of cells contains only allowed cell paths.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a required duration of presence of a cell in an avatar gesture;

selecting an avatar gesture as an interpretation of the sample sequence of cells only if the cell path of the sample sequence of contains the cell having the required duration of presence.