Three Dimensional User Interface Cursor Control

• US 20120223882A1
• Filed: 12/08/2011
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: PrimeSense Ltd (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Galor, Micha, Or, Ofir, Gelbourt, Idan, Pokrass, Jonathan, Huffnung, Amir
• Granted Patent: US 8,872,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• 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

Abstract

A method, including receiving, by a computer executing a non-tactile three dimensional (3D) user interface, a first set of multiple 3D coordinates representing a gesture performed by a user positioned within a field of view of a sensing device coupled to the computer, the first set of 3D coordinates comprising multiple points in a fixed 3D coordinate system local to the sensing device. The first set of multiple 3D coordinates are transformed to a second set of corresponding multiple 3D coordinates in a subjective 3D coordinate system local to the user.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer executing a non-tactile three dimensional (3D) user interface, a set of multiple 3D coordinates representing a gesture performed by a limb of a user positioned within a field of view of a sensing device coupled to the computer, the set of 3D coordinates comprising first multiple points measured in a fixed 3D coordinate system local to the sensing device; and

transforming any of the first multiple points that indicate the limb moving along a depth axis local to the sensing device to corresponding second multiple points along a depth axis local to the user, upon the set of multiple 3D coordinates indicating that a motion of a joint associated with the limb exceeds a specified threshold.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the body part comprises a hand and the joint comprises an elbow associated with the hand.

19. A method, comprising:

presenting, by a computer executing a non-tactile three dimensional (3D) user interface, a cursor in proximity to one or more items on a display;

receiving a set of multiple 3D coordinates representing a gesture performed by a body part of a user being positioned within a field of view of a sensing device coupled to the computer;

calculating a ratio between a first size of the cursor and a second size of the body part; and

positioning the cursor responsively to the received set of multiple coordinates in proportion to the calculated ratio.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the body part comprises a hand.

21. A method, comprising:

presenting, by a computer executing a non-tactile three dimensional (3D) user interface, an interactive cursor in proximity to one or more items on a display;

receiving a set of multiple 3D coordinates representing a gesture performed by a user positioned within a field of view of a sensing device coupled to the computer;

positioning the interactive cursor responsively to the received set of multiple coordinates; and

conveying feedback, indicating a proximity of the cursor to the one or more objects.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the feedback comprises a sound.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the feedback comprises changing a shape of the cursor.

24-39. -39. (canceled)

40. An apparatus, comprising:

a display; and

a computer executing a non-tactile three dimensional (3D) user interface, and configured to receive a set of multiple 3D coordinates representing a gesture performed by a limb of a user positioned within a field of view of a sensing device coupled to the computer, the set of 3D coordinates comprising first multiple points measured in a fixed 3D coordinate system local to the sensing device, and to transform any of the first multiple points that indicate the limb moving along a depth axis local to the sensing device to corresponding second multiple points along a depth axis local to the user, upon the set of multiple 3D coordinates indicating that a motion of a joint associated with the limb exceeds a specified threshold.

41. The apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the body part comprises a hand and the joint comprises an elbow associated with the hand.

42. An apparatus, comprising:

a display; and

a computer executing a non-tactile three dimensional (3D) user interface, and configured to present a cursor in proximity to one or more items on the display, to receive a set of multiple 3D coordinates representing a gesture performed by a body part of a user being positioned within a field of view of a sensing device coupled to the computer, to calculate a ratio between a first size of the cursor and a second size of the body part, and to position the cursor responsively to the received set of multiple coordinates in proportion to the calculated ratio.

43. The apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the body part comprises a hand.

44. An apparatus, comprising:

a display; and

a computer executing a non-tactile three dimensional (3D) user interface, and configured to present an interactive cursor in proximity to one or more items on the display, to receive a set of multiple 3D coordinates representing a gesture performed by a user positioned within a field of view of a sensing device coupled to the computer, to position the interactive cursor responsively to the received set of multiple coordinates, and to convey feedback, indicating a proximity of the cursor to the one or more objects.

45. The apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the feedback comprises a sound.

46. The apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the feedback comprises the computer changing a shape of the cursor.

47. (canceled)

48. A computer software product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium, in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer executing a non-tactile three dimensional user interface, cause the computer to receive a set of multiple 3D coordinates representing a gesture performed by a limb of a user positioned within a field of view of a sensing device coupled to the computer, the set of 3D coordinates comprising first multiple points measured in a fixed 3D coordinate system local to the sensing device, and to transform any of the first multiple points that indicate the limb moving along a depth axis local to the sensing device to corresponding second multiple points along a depth axis local to the user, upon the set of multiple 3D coordinates indicating that a motion of a joint associated with the limb exceeds a specified threshold.

49. A computer software product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium, in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer executing a non-tactile three dimensional user interface, cause the computer to present a cursor in proximity to one or more items on a display, to receive a set of multiple 3D coordinates representing a gesture performed by a body part of a user being positioned within a field of view of a sensing device coupled to the computer, to calculate a ratio between a first size of the cursor and a second size of the body part, and to position the cursor responsively to the received set of multiple coordinates in proportion to the calculated ratio.

50. A computer software product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium, in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer executing a non-tactile three dimensional user interface, cause the computer to present an interactive cursor in proximity to one or more items on a display, to receive a set of multiple 3D coordinates representing a gesture performed by a user positioned within a field of view of a sensing device coupled to the computer, to position the interactive cursor responsively to the received set of multiple coordinates, and to convey feedback, indicating a proximity of the cursor to the one or more objects.