POWER CONTROL METHOD OF GESTURE RECOGNITION DEVICE BY DETECTING PRESENCE OF USER

• US 20110134251A1
• Filed: 12/02/2010
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Im, Soungmin, KIM, Sungun
• Granted Patent: US 8,723,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/164
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/09 for electromagnetic radiation in the invisible region, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/17 Cylindrical

Abstract

Provided is a method which reduces the power consumption of a camera for detecting a user'"'"'s gesture, in a device that detects the user'"'"'s gesture and performs a command corresponding to the detected gesture. Moreover, provided is a method which turns off a camera or drives the camera in an ultra low power mode when there is no user input, and detects presence of a user to activate the camera.

Claims

1. A method of turning on a computing device controllable by gesture, the method comprising:

detecting presence of an object near a camera which is connected to the computing device; and

switching an operation mode of the camera to a mode for detecting a gesture of a user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the camera is in a turn-off state,

the computing device is connected to one of a thermal infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor and an infrared sensor, and

the presence of the object is detected by one of the sensors.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the camera is in an ultra low power mode for detecting whether an captured image is changed, and

the presence of the object is detected by a camera having the ultra low power mode.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is one of a television (TV), a game machine, a portable phone and a set-top box.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a turn-on gesture of the user; and

turning on the computing device.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

returning the camera to a state before the detection of the presence, when the presence is detected and the turn-on gesture is not detected within a certain time.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying that the camera has entered into a mode for detecting the gesture.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the camera is an infrared camera.

9. A computing device controllable by gesture, the computing device comprising:

a presence sensor detecting presence of a user;

a camera interface connected to a camera, and receiving a gesture of the user image from the camera;

a storage unit storing commands corresponding to gestures which are inputted by the user; and

a controller turning on the camera, analyzing the received gesture image, and executing a command corresponding to the gesture, when the presence sensor detects the presence of the user.

10. The computing device according to claim 9, wherein the presence sensor is one of a thermal infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor.

11. The computing device according to claim 9, wherein the presence sensor is the camera.

12. The computing device according to claim 9, wherein the camera is an infrared camera.

13. A camera which is connected to a computing device controllable by gesture of a user and captures a gesture image of the user, the camera comprising:

an image receiver capturing the gesture image of the user;

an illuminator providing illumination;

an image output unit transferring an image which is captured by the image receiver; and

a controller turning on the camera when presence of the user is detected, and controlling a power mode of the camera according to a gesture input of the user.

14. The camera according to claim 13, wherein the presence of the user is detected by one of a thermal infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor which is connected to the camera or the computing device.

15. The camera according to claim 13, wherein the presence of the user is detected by the camera.

16. The camera according to claim 13, wherein:

the camera is an infrared camera, and

the illuminator provides infrared illumination.