METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR IMPROVED MOTIOIN CAPTURE

• US 20120051596A1
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activate Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Activate Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Darnell, Nicholas Casey, Wu, Jia-Chi
• Granted Patent: US 8,630,462 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• 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: G06V 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113

Abstract

An apparatus includes an acquisition module, an area definition module, a comparison module and a rendering module. The acquisition module is configured to receive a first position datum and a second position datum associated with a position of an object at a first time and a second time, respectively. The area definition module is configured to set an area surrounding a first object position associated with a focal point of the first position datum as a dead-zone. The comparison module is configured to determine whether a focal point of the second position datum is within that area. If yes, the rendering module is configured to maintain a position on a display of a graphic. Otherwise, the area definition module is configured to set an area surrounding a second object position associated with the first object position and the focal point of the second position datum as the dead-zone.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an acquisition module configured to receive a first position datum associated with a position of an object at a first time, the acquisition module configured to receive a second position datum associated with a position of the object at a second time after the first time;

an area definition module configured to define a focal point of the first position datum, the area definition module configured to set an area surrounding a first object position associated with the focal point of the first position datum as a dead-zone at substantially the first time;

a comparison module configured to determine whether a focal point of the second position datum is within the area surrounding the first object position substantially at the second time, the area definition module configured to set an area surrounding a second object position as the dead-zone at substantially the second time if the focal point of the second position datum is outside the area surrounding the first object position, the second object position being associated with the first object position and the focal point of the second position datum; and

a rendering module configured to maintain a position on a display of a graphic if the focal point of the second position datum is within the area surrounding the first object position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rendering module is configured to modify the position on the display of the graphic if the focal point of the second position datum is outside the area surrounding the first object position.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the area definition module is configured to maintain the area surrounding the first object position as the dead-zone at substantially the second time if the focal point of the second position datum is within the area surrounding the first object position.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the area surrounding the second object position has a size greater than a size of the area surrounding the first object position based on a velocity of movement of the object between the position of the object at the first time and the position of the object at the second time.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the area surrounding the second object position has a size less than a size of the area surrounding the first object position based on a velocity of movement of the object between the position of the object at the first time and the position of the object at the second time.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the graphic is a cursor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the graphic is a representation of at least a portion of the object.

8. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive a first position datum associated with a position of an object at a first time;

define a focal point of the first position datum and an area surrounding an object position associated with the focal point of the first position datum;

receive a second position datum associated with a position of the object at a second time, the position of the object at the second time being different than the position of the object at the first time; and

maintain the object position on a display of a graphic in response to a focal point of the second position datum being within the area surrounding the object position.

9. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the object position on the display is a first object position on the display, the code further comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive a third position datum associated with a position of the object at a third time; and

send, based on a focal point of the third position datum being outside the area surrounding the first object position, a signal to move the graphic from the first object position on the display to a second object position on the display, the first object position on the display being associated with the focal point of the first position datum, the second object position on the display being associated with the first object position and the focal point of the third position datum.

10. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the object position is a first object position, the code further comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive a third position datum associated with a position of the object at a third time; and

define, based on a focal point of the third position datum being outside the area surrounding the first object position, an area surrounding a second object position associated with the first object position and the focal point of the third position datum,

the area surrounding the second object position having a size greater than a size of the area surrounding the first object position based on a velocity of movement of the object between the position of the object at the first time and the position of the object at the third time.

11. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the object position is a first object position, the code further comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive a third position datum associated with a position of the object at a third time;

define, based on a focal point of the third position datum being outside the area surrounding the first object position, an area surrounding a second object position associated with the first object position and the focal point of the third position datum,

the area surrounding the second object position having a size less than a size of the area surrounding the first object position based on a velocity of movement of the object between the position of the object at the first time and the position of the object at the third time.

12. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the graphic is a cursor.

13. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the graphic is a representation of at least a portion of the object.

14. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the object is at least one of a projectile, an instrument, a tool, an animal, a human or a human body part.

15. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive a third position datum associated with a position of the object at a third time; and

modify a size of the area surrounding the object position associated with the focal point of the first position datum in response to one of a velocity of movement or acceleration of the object between the position of the object at the first time and the position of the object at the third time.

16. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive a first position datum associated with a position of an object at a first time;

designate an area surrounding a first object position associated with a focal point of the first position datum as a dead-zone at substantially the first time, the area surrounding the first object position having a first size;

receive a second position datum associated with a position of the object at a second time, a focal point of the second position datum being outside the area surrounding the first object position; and

designate an area surrounding a second object position associated with the first object position and the focal point of the second position datum as the dead-zone substantially at the second time, the area surrounding the second object position having a second size different than the first size, the second size being based on at least one of a characteristic of movement of the object from the position of the object at the first time to the position of the object at the second time.

17. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the characteristic of movement of the object is a velocity of movement of the object from the position of the object at the first time to the position of the object at the second time, the code further comprising code to cause the processor to:

calculate the velocity datum associated with the velocity of movement of the object based on the first position datum, the second position datum and a duration of time between the first time and the second time.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the characteristic of movement of the object is an acceleration of movement of the object from the position of the object at the first time to the position of the object at the second time.

19. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

send, based on the focal point of the second position datum being outside the area surrounding the first object position, a signal to move a graphic on a display from the first object position on the display to the second object position on the display, the first object position on the display being associated with the focal point of the first position datum, the second object position on the display being associated with the first object position and the focal point of the second position datum.

20. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the graphic is one of a cursor or a representation of a portion of the object.