CONTROL APPARATUS, VEHICLE, AND PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20140172231A1
• Filed: 10/25/2013
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: TERADA, Takuma, YOSHINAGA, Tomoaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,547,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• 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 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/113 Recognition of static hand signs

Abstract

A control apparatus to be connected to a route guidance apparatus, comprising: a hand information detection part for detecting information on a hand of a user from a taken image; and an operation command generation part for outputting a control command to at least one of the route guidance apparatus and a plurality of apparatus connected to the route guidance apparatus, the operation command generation part being configured to output the control command to the at least one of the route guidance apparatus and the plurality of apparatus based on a direction of the hand of the user detected by the hand information detection part.

Claims

1. A control apparatus to be connected to a route guidance apparatus, comprising:

a hand information detection part for detecting information on a hand of a user from a taken image; and

an operation command generation part for outputting a control command to at least one of the route guidance apparatus and a plurality of apparatus connected to the route guidance apparatus,

the operation command generation part being configured to output the control command to the at least one of the route guidance apparatus and the plurality of apparatus based on a direction of the hand of the user detected by the hand information detection part.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the hand information detection part includes;

a hand detection part for detecting an area of the hand of the user;

a shape recognition part for recognizing a shape of the hand of the user based on the detected area of the hand;

a direction recognition part for recognizing the direction of the hand of the user based on the detected area of the hand; and

a motion recognition part for recognizing a motion of the hand of the user based on the area of the hand and the direction of the hand; and

the operation command generation part outputs the control command also based on the motion of the hand recognized by the motion recognition part.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the operation command generation part outputs the control command also based on the shape of the hand recognized by the shape recognition part.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the hand information detection part includes;

a hand detection part for detecting an area of the hand of the user;

a shape recognition part for recognizing a shape of the hand of the user based on the detected area of the hand;

a direction recognition part for recognizing the direction of the hand of the user based on the detected area of the hand; and

the operation command generation part outputs the control command also based on the shape of the hand recognized by the shape recognition part.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the control apparatus holds;

apparatus relationship information to in which a relationship between a recognition result which is recognizable by the shape recognition part and an apparatus to be selected as a control target in correspondence to the recognition result is registered; and

function relationship information in which a relationship between a recognition result which is recognizable by the direction recognition part and a function to be controlled in correspondence to the recognition result is registered; and

the operation command generation part is configured to;

refer to the apparatus relationship information, and select an apparatus corresponding to the recognition result of the shape recognition part as the apparatus of the control target; and

refer to the function relationship information, identify a function corresponding to the recognition result of the direction recognition part, and output the control command.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hand information detection part is configured to:

detect a face area of the user from the taken image;

set an area for detecting the hand of the user based on a position of the face area in the taken image; and

exclude an area where the hand of the user is placed during a period other than an operation period for controlling at least one of the route guidance apparatus and the plurality of apparatus from the area for detecting the hand.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an illumination apparatus,

the illumination apparatus being disposed so as to illuminate an area where the hand of the user is placed.

8. A vehicle, comprising:

the control apparatus according to claim 1;

a route guidance apparatus; and

an imaging apparatus,

the imaging apparatus being located below a center of an in-vehicle steering wheel, and being arranged so that a ceiling inside the vehicle serves as a background of the hand of the user.

9. A portable terminal connectable to a route guidance apparatus via a control apparatus,

the control apparatus including an operation command generation part for outputting a control command to at least one of the route guidance apparatus and a plurality of apparatus connected to the route guidance apparatus,

the portable terminal comprising:

an imaging apparatus; and

a hand information detection part for detecting information on a hand of a user from an image taken by the imaging apparatus,

the hand information detection part comprising;

a shape recognition part for recognizing a shape of the hand of the user based on a detected area of the hand;

a direction recognition part for recognizing a direction of the hand of the user based on the detected area of the hand; and

a recognition result output part for outputting a recognition result of the shape recognition part and a recognition result of the direction recognition part to the operation command generation part,

the operation command generation part being configured to output, based on the recognition result of the shape recognition part and the recognition result of the direction recognition part output by the recognition result output part, a control command to at least one of the route guidance apparatus and the plurality of apparatus.