OBJECT POSITION DETERMINATION

• US 20150131852A1
• Filed: 11/07/2013
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sweetser, John N., Grunnet-Jepsen, Anders, Winer, Paul, Keselman, Leonid M., Bateman, Steven S., Takagi, Akihiro, Rojas, Chris, Jayant, Chandrika
• Granted Patent: US 9,494,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B11/26 takes precedence; rangefinders G01C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/20 using multiple transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• 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: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

In embodiments, apparatuses, methods and storage media for human-computer interaction are described. In embodiments, an apparatus may include one or more light sources and a camera. Through capture of images by the camera, the computing device may detect positions of objects of a user, within a three-dimensional (3-D) interaction region within which to track positions of the objects of the user. The apparatus may utilize multiple light sources, which may be disposed at different distances to the display and may illuminate the objects in a direction other than the image capture direction. The apparatus may selectively illuminate individual light sources to facilitate detection of the objects in the direction toward the display. The camera may also capture images in synchronization with the selective illumination. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supporting human-computer interaction, the apparatus comprising:

a display, wherein the display defines a plane;

one or more light sources to illuminate objects of a user placed in front of the display;

a camera to capture one or more images of the illuminated objects, wherein the camera is to capture images in an image capture direction that is substantially normal to the plane of the display; and

a position determination module coupled with the camera to determine, based on the captured images, one or more positions of the objects in a three-dimensional (3-D) interaction region defined in front of the display.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the light sources are to illuminate using light in a selected wavelength range; and

the camera comprises a filter to substantially block light that is not in the selected wavelength range.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the selected wavelength range comprises wavelength range of infrared light.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light sources are disposed in the apparatus such that the light sources emit light in an illumination direction other than the image capture direction.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the illumination direction is a vertical direction.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more light sources comprise a plurality of light sources located at different distances from the display.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the apparatus further comprises a keyboard that includes a plurality of rows of keys; and

the one or more light sources are disposed between the rows of keys of the keyboard.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising an illumination control module coupled with the plurality of light sources and the camera to selectively operate individual light sources of the plurality of light sources to facilitate detection of objects positioned substantially along an axis defined by the image capture direction.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the camera is to capture images in synchronization with selective operation of individual light sources of the plurality of light sources.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the illumination control module is to selectively operate portions of the one or more light sources.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the position determination module is to determine positions of one or more objects substantially along an axis defined by the image capture direction based on one or images captured by the camera and synchronized with illumination of individual light sources of the plurality of light sources.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise a fingertip of the user.

13. A method for supporting human-computer interaction with a computing device comprising a display defining a plane, the method comprising:

illuminating, by one or more light sources of the computing device, objects of a user placed in front of the display;

capturing, by a camera of the computing device, one or more images of the illuminated objects in an image capture direction that is substantially normal to the display; and

determining, by the computing device, based on the captured images, one or more positions of the objects in a three-dimensional (3-D) interaction region defined in front of the display.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

illuminating comprises illuminating using light in a selected wavelength range; and

capturing one or more images comprises capturing the one or more images using a filter to substantially block light that is not in the selected wavelength range.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein illuminating comprises emitting light in an illumination direction other than the image capture direction.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein illuminating comprises emitting light from the one or more light sources at different distances from the display.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the computing device comprises a keyboard having a plurality of rows of keys; and

emitting light from the one or more light sources at different distances from the display comprises emitting light from the one or more light sources between the rows of keys of the keyboard.

18. The computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein illuminate comprises selectively operate individual light sources of the plurality of light sources to facilitate detection of objects positioned substantially along an axis defined by the image capture direction.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein capture one or more images comprises capture images in synchronization with selective operation of individual light sources of the plurality of light sources.

20. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media including computer-executable instructions configured, in response to execution on a computing device comprising a display that defines a plane, to cause the computing device to support human-computer interaction by causing the computing device to:

illuminate, by one or more light sources of the computing device, objects of a user placed in front of the display;

capture, by a camera of the computing device, one or more images of the illuminated objects in an image capture direction that is substantially normal to the display; and

determine, based on the captured images, one or more positions of the objects in a three-dimensional (3-D) interaction region defined in front of the display.

21. The computer-readable media of claim 20, wherein illuminate comprises emit light from the one or more light sources at different distances from the display.

22. The computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein:

the computing device comprises a keyboard that includes a plurality of rows of keys; and

emit light from the one or more light sources at different distances from the display comprises emit light from the one or more light sources between the rows of keys of the keyboard.

23. An apparatus for supporting human-computer interaction, the apparatus comprising:

display means for displaying text and/or graphics to a user, the means for displaying text and/or graphics defining a plane;

means for illuminating objects of a user placed in front of the display means;

means for capturing one or more images of the illuminated objects in an image capture direction that is substantially normal to the display means; and

means for determining, based on the captured images, one or more positions of the objects in a three-dimensional (3-D) interaction region defined in front of the display means.

24. The apparatus of claims 23, wherein means for illuminating comprises means for emitting light from the one or more light sources at different distances from the display.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein means for determining one or more positions of objects comprises means for determining positions of one or more objects substantially along an axis defined by the image capture direction based on one or images captured by the camera and synchronized with illumination of individual light sources of the plurality of light sources.