Method and Apparatus for Push Interaction

• US 20120218406A1
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AIC Innovations Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AI CURE Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Hanina, Adam, Kessler, Gordon, Guan, Lei
• Granted Patent: US 9,116,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• 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 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining an indication of interaction in a direction towards a webcam. The method includes the steps of determining an object in a region of interest, determining a first size of the object in the region of interest and tracking the object in the region of interest. A second size of the object in the region of interest is then determined, and a push interaction is confirmed as having taken place if the ratio of the second size to the first size is greater than a predetermined value.

Claims

1. A method for determining an indication of interaction in a direction towards a webcam, comprising the steps of:

determining an object in a region of interest;

determining a first size of the object in the region of interest;

tracking the object in the region of interest;

determining a second size of the object in the region of interest; and

confirming that a push interaction has taken place if the ratio of the second size to the first size is greater than a predetermined value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the second size of the object in the region of interest is repeated until it is confirmed that a push interaction has taken place, or the object leaves the region of interest.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining a parallax angle of movement of the object in the region of interest.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of employing the determined parallax angle to aid in determining whether a push interaction has taken place.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying an image of the region of interest.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the region of interest is displayed to a user to aid in properly placing the object in the region of interest.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if the object is removed from the region of interest and then repositioned within the region of interest, the step of determining a first size of the object is performed again.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a medication pill.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a finger of a user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of selecting an object from among a plurality of objects displayed on a display in accordance with the confirmation of a push interaction.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of determining an object to be selected from among the plurality objects is determined at least in part in accordance with an x.y positioning of the object.

12. A method for determining an indication of interaction in a direction towards a webcam, comprising the steps of:

determining an object in a region of interest;

determining a first size of the object in the region of interest at a first time;

tracking the object in the region of interest;

determining a second size of the object in the region of interest at a second time;

determining a third size of the object in the region of interest at a third time; and

confirming that a push interaction has taken place if the ratio of the second size to the first size is greater than a first predetermined value, and the ratio of the third size to the first size is greater than a second predetermined value.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of providing a visual indicator indicative of the push interaction.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of limiting a time lapse between the first, second and third times.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the object is a medication pill.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the object is a finger of a user.

17. A method for determining an indication of interaction in a direction towards a webcam, comprising the steps of:

determining an object in a region of interest;

locating one or more distinguishing features of the object in the region of interest at a first time;

tracking the object in the region of interest;

locating the one or more distinguishing features of the object in the region of interest at a second time;

determining a relative positioning of the distinguishing features of the object between the first and second time; and

confirming that a push interaction has taken place based upon the determined relative positioning.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of confirming that a push interaction has taken place further determines that the size of the object has changed between the first and second times.

19. A system for determining an indication of interaction in a direction towards a webcam, comprising:

a webcam for capturing one or more images; and

a processor for processing the one or more captured images, the processor determining an object in a region of interest of the one or more captured images, determining a first size of the object in the region of interest at a first time;

tracking the object in the region of interest, determining a second size of the object in the region of interest at a second time;

determining a third size of the object in the region of interest at a third time, and confirming that a push interaction has taken place if the ratio of the second size to the first size is greater than a first predetermined value, and the ratio of the third size to the first size is greater than a second predetermined value.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the object is a medication pill.