Recognizing User Intent In Motion Capture System

• US 20130074002A1
• Filed: 11/08/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Markovic, Relja, Latta, Stephen G., Geisner, Kevin A., Steed, Jonathan T., Bennett, Darren A., Vance, Amos D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• 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

Techniques for facilitating interaction with an application in a motion capture system allow a person to easily begin interacting without manual setup. A depth camera system tracks a person in physical space and determines a probabilistic measure of the person'"'"'s intent to engage of disengage with the application based on location, stance and movement. Absolute location in a field of view of the depth camera, and location relative to another person, can be evaluated. Stance can include facing a depth camera, indicating a willingness to interact. Movements can include moving toward or away from a central area in the physical space, walking through the field of view, and movements which occur while standing generally in one location, such as moving one'"'"'s arms around, gesturing, or shifting weight from one foot to another.

Claims

1. Tangible computer readable storage device having computer readable software embodied thereon for programming a processor to perform a method for recognizing an intent of a person to engage with an application in a motion capture system, the method comprising:

receiving images of a field of view of the motion capture system;

based on the images, distinguishing a person'"'"'s body;

based on the distinguishing, determining a probabilistic measure of an intent by the person to engage with the application;

based on the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to engage with the application, determining that the person does not intend to engage with the application at a first time and determining that the person intends to engage with the application at a second time;

in response to determining that the person intends to engage with the application, allowing the person to engage with the application by automatically associating a profile and an avatar with the person in the application, and displaying the avatar in a virtual space on a display; and

updating the display by controlling the avatar as the person engages with the application by moving the person'"'"'s body.

2. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein:

the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to engage with the application is based on a location of the person'"'"'s body in the field of view.

3. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein:

the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to engage with the application is based on a stance of the person'"'"'s body in the field of view.

4. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein:

the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to engage with the application is based on movement of the person'"'"'s body in the field of view.

5. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein:

the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to engage with the application uses a different probability for different zones of the field of view.

6. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein:

the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to engage with the application results in a higher probability of intent to engage when the person is within a specified distance of another person who is engaging with the application.

7. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 6, wherein:

the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to engage with the application results in a higher probability of intent to engage when the person is at a side of the another person who is engaging with the application.

8. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the method performed further comprises:

based on the distinguishing, determining a probabilistic measure of an intent by the person to disengage with the application; and

based on the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to disengage with the application, determining that the person intend to disengage with the application at a third time, after the second time, in response to which the profile and the avatar are automatically stored indexed to an identifier of the person.

9. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein:

the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to disengage with the application provides a higher probability of the intent by the person to disengage with the application when the person'"'"'s body makes a movement which indicates the intent by the person to disengage with the application.

10. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein:

the movement which indicates the intent by the person to disengage with the application comprises the person walking away from the display.

11. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein:

the movement which indicates the intent by the person to disengage with the application comprises the person turning their back on the display while standing still.

12. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein:

the movement which indicates the intent by the person to disengage with the application comprises the person walking away from a location in the field of view in which the intent to engage with the application is most probable.

13. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein:

the movement which indicates the intent by the person to disengage with the application comprises the person walking toward a boundary of the field of view and then out of the field of view.

14. A motion capture system, comprising:

a depth camera system having a field of view;

a display; and

a processor in communication with the depth camera system and the display, the processor executes instructions to implement an application in the motion capture system, and provide a signal to the display to display images, the depth camera system and processor receive images of the field of view, based on the images, distinguish a person'"'"'s body and, in response, determine a probabilistic measure of an intent by the person to engage with the application, based on the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to engage with the application, determine that the person intends to engage with the application at a first time and in response allow the person to engage with the application, determine a period of time in which the person'"'"'s body is no longer distinguished in the images and in response;

(a) if the period of time is less than a threshold, allow the person to continue to engage with the application without again determining that the person intends to engage with the application, and (b) if the period of time is more than the threshold, do not allow the person to continue to engage with the application until it is again determined that the person intends to engage with the application, and update the display by controlling an avatar as the person engages with the application by movement of the person'"'"'s body.

15. The motion capture system of claim 14, wherein:

the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to engage with the application uses a different probability for different zones of the field of view.

16. The motion capture system of claim 14, wherein:

the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to engage with the application is based on a location of the person'"'"'s body in the field of view.

17. The motion capture system of claim 14, wherein:

the probabilistic measure of the intent by the person to engage with the application is based on a stance of the person'"'"'s body in the field of view.

18. A processor-implemented method for recognizing an intent of a person to engage with an application in a motion capture system, comprising the processor-implemented steps of:

receiving images of a field of view of the motion capture system;

based on the images, distinguishing a person'"'"'s body, determining that the person intends to engage with the application and allowing engagement of the person with the application by automatically associating a profile and an avatar with the person in the application, and displaying the avatar in a virtual space on a display;

based on the images, determining that the person'"'"'s body has not been detected for a first period of time and determining whether the person left the field of view;

in response to the determining that the person'"'"'s body has not been detected for the first period of time, suspending the engagement of the person with the application;

based on the images, while the engagement of the person with the application is suspended, determining that the person'"'"'s body is detected again in the field of view;

when the person'"'"'s body is detected again in the field of view and when the person did not leave the field of view, allowing the person to re-engage with the application without re-determining that the person intends to engage with the application; and

when the person'"'"'s body is detected again in the field of view and when the person left the field of view;

determining how long the engagement of the person with the application has been suspended, and if the engagement of the person with the application has been suspended for more than a specified period of time, re-determining that the person intends to engage with the application before allowing the person to re-engage with the application.

19. The processor-implemented method of claim 18, wherein:

when the person'"'"'s body is detected again in the field of view and when the person left the field of view, and if the engagement of the person with the application has not been suspended for more than the specified period of time, allowing the person to re-engage with the application without re-determining that the person intends to engage with the application.

20. The processor-implemented method of claim 18, wherein:

the allowing engagement of the person with the application comprises displaying the avatar in the virtual space on the display and moving the avatar based on movements of the person'"'"'s body; and

the suspending the engagement of the person with the application comprises not displaying the avatar in the virtual space on the display and not moving the avatar based on movements of the person'"'"'s body.