Systems and Methods for Implementing Head Tracking Based Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) that Incorporate Gesture Reactive Interface Objects

• US 20150192991A1
• Filed: 01/07/2015
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KAYA Dynamics LLC
• Original Assignee: Aquifi, Inc.
• Inventors: Dal Mutto, Carlo, Rafii, Abbas, Zuccarino, Tony, Marin, Giulio
• Granted Patent: US 9,507,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Embodiments in accordance with this invention disclose systems and methods for implementing head tracking based graphical user interfaces that incorporate gesture reactive interface objects. The disclosed embodiments perform a method in which a GUI includes interface objects is rendered and displayed. Image data of an interaction zone is captured. A targeting gestured targeting a targeted interface object is detected in the captured image data and a set of 3D head interaction gestures are enabled. Additional image data is captured. Motion of at least a portion of a human head is detected and one of the 3D head interactions is identified. The rendering of the interface is modified in response to the detection of one of the 3D head interactions and the modified interface is displayed.

Claims

1. A method of rendering a user interface on a computing device, comprising:

rendering an initial user interface comprising a set of interface objects using a computing device, where each interface object in the set of interface objects includes a graphical element that is rendered when the interface object is rendered for display and a target zone within the user interface;

receiving captured image data;

detecting a targeting gesture in captured image data that identifies a targeted interface object within the user interface using the computing device;

enabling a set of one or more interaction 3D head gestures for the targeted interface object in response to the detection of the targeting gesture using the computing device wherein each of the one or more interaction head gestures is associated with a permitted interaction in a set of permitted interactions allowed for the targeted interface object and each permitted interaction is an action performed via the user interface to manipulate the targeted interface object;

receiving additional captured image data;

determining the motion of the at least a portion of the human head in the additional data corresponds to an interaction 3D head gesture from the set of one or more interaction 3D head gestures enabled for the targeted interface object that identifies a specific interaction from the set of permitted interactions with the targeted interface object using the computing device;

modifying the user interface in response to the specific interaction with the targeted interface object identified by the detected interaction 3D gesture using the computing device; and

rendering the modified user interface using the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the computing device is part of a real-time gesture based interactive system further comprising a display device and an image capture system;

and the method further comprises;

displaying the rendered user interfaces using the display; and

capturing the captured image data and the additional captured image data using the image capture system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the targeting gesture is a 3D motion.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the targeting gesture is a 2D motion.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the targeting gesture is a 3D head gesture.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the targeting 3D head gesture is a staring motion towards the target zone of the targeted interface.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising changing the rendering of at least the targeted interface object within the user interface in response to the targeting gesture targeting the interface object using the computing device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein changing the rendering of at least the targeted interface object within the user interface object using the computing device further comprises changing the size of the graphical element of the targeted interface object.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein changing the rendering of at least the targeted interface object within the user interface in response to the targeting gesture using the computing device further comprises changing the size of the graphical elements of a plurality of interface objects including the targeted interface object.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein changing the rendering of at least the targeted interface object within the user interface in response to the targeting gesture using the computing device further comprises changing the size of the target zone of the targeted interface object and rendering a graphical element indicating the location of the target zone.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein changing the rendering of at least the targeted interface object within the user interface in response to the targeting gesture using the computing device further comprises changing the size of the target zone of a plurality of interface objects including the targeted interface object and rendering graphical elements indicating the location of the target zone of each of the plurality of interface objects.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an interaction element indicating the time remaining to interact with the targeted interface object in response to the targeting gesture targeting the targeted interface object for a predetermined period of time using the computing device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying of the change in pose and the determining of the interaction 3D head gesture from the set of one or more interaction 3D head gestures for the targeted interface object that identifies a specific interaction with the targeted interface object that corresponds to the change in pose occurs within a predetermined time period from the receipt of the detection of the targeting gesture.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the change of pose of at least a portion of a human head corresponds to an interaction 3D head gesture from the set of one or more interaction gestures for the targeted interface object further comprises identifying motion corresponding to at least one motion selected from the group consisting of:

nodding the head in a side to side motion;

shaking the head in an up and down motion; and

blinking the eyes.

15. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising determining that the targeting gesture targets the targeted interface object for a predetermined period of time, where the determination considers the targeting gesture to be targeting the targeted interface object during any period of time in which the targeting gesture does not target the interface object that is less than a hysteresis threshold.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an input via a 3D head gesture input modality from captured image data using the computing device; and

changing the manner in which the initial user interface is rendered in response to detection of input via a 3D head gesture input modality using the computing device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein changing the manner in which the initial user interface is rendered in response to detection of input via a 3D head gesture input modality further comprises changing at least one selected from the group consisting of:

the size of the graphical elements of a plurality of interface objects;

the size of the target zones of a plurality of interface objects and rendering graphical elements showing the locations of the target zones; and

the size of the region of the user interface that is rendered.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein:

detecting an input via a 3D head gesture input modality further comprises determining a distance from the display at which 3D head gestures are being performed to provide 3D head gesture input from the captured image data; and

changing the manner in which the initial user interface is rendered in response to detection of input via a 3D head gesture input modality further comprises changing the manner in which the user interface is rendered based upon the distance from the display at which 3D head gestures are being performed to provide 3D head gesture input.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a distance of a head of a user from a display on which the rendered user interface is being displayed using the computing device; and

changing the manner in which the initial user interface is rendered by the computing device based upon the distance of the head of the user from the display on which the rendered user interface is being displayed.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein changing the manner in which the initial user interface is rendered based upon the distance of the head of the user from the display on which the rendered user interface is being displayed further comprises changing at least one selected from the group consisting of:

the size of the graphical elements of a plurality of interface objects;

the size of the target zones of a plurality of interface objects and rendering graphical elements showing the locations of the target zones; and

the size of the region of the user interface that is rendered.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of at least one selected from a group consisting of a rendered graphical element of at least one interface object and a target zone of at least one interface object is determined based upon at least one of the size of a display on which the rendered user interface is displayed and the resolution of the display.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising increasing the size of the target zone of the targeted interface object within the user interface in response to the detection of the targeting gesture that targets the interface object using the computing device.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an input via a 3D head gesture input modality from captured image data using the computing device; and

increasing the size of the target zones of at least one interface object within the user interface in response to the detection of the input via the 3D head gesture input modality using the computing device.

24. The method of claim 1 further wherein:

detecting a targeting 3D gesture that targets the target zone of one of the interface objects within the user interface further comprises;

identifying a 3D interaction zone within the captured image data that maps to the user interface;

determining the location of an object performing the targeting gesture within the 3D interaction zone;

mapping the location of the object within the 3D interaction zone to a location within the user interface;

determining that the mapped location within the user interface falls within the target zone of an interface object; and

identifying the interface having the target within which the mapped location falls is the targeted interface object; and

detecting the interaction 3D head gesture from the set of one or more interaction gestures for the targeted interface object in the additional captured image data that identifies a specific interaction with a targeted interface object using the computing device further comprises;

tracking motion of at least a portion of a human head within the 3D interaction zone; and

determining that the tracked motion of at least a portion of a human head within the 3D interaction zone corresponds to an interaction 3D head gesture from the set of one or more interaction head gestures for the targeted interface object.

25. A method of rendering a user interface on a real-time gesture based interactive system comprising an image capture system including at least two cameras, an image processing system and a display device, the method comprising:

rendering an initial user interface comprising a set of interface objects using the image processing system, where each interface object comprises;

a graphical element that is rendered when the interface object is rendered for display;

a target zone that defines at least one region in the user interface in which a targeting three-dimensional (3D) gesture targets the interface object; and

a description of a set of permitted interactions;

displaying the rendered user interface using the display;

capturing image data using the image capture system;

detecting an input via a 3D head gesture input modality from the captured image data using the image processing system;

changing the manner in which the initial user interface is rendered in response to detection of an input via a 3D head gesture input modality using the image processing device;

displaying the rendered user interface using the display;

identifying a 3D interaction zone within the captured image data that maps to the user interface;

determining the location of at least a portion of a human head within the 3D interaction zone from the captured image data;

identifying a first pose of the at least a portion of a human head within the target zone that corresponds to a targeting 3D head gesture;

mapping the location of the at least a portion of a human head within the 3D interaction zone to a location within the user interface;

determining that the mapped location within the user interface falls within the target zone of a specific interface object in the user interface;

identifying the specific interface object as a targeted interface object in response to an identification of the first pose as a targeting head gesture and a determination that the mapped location of the at least a portion of the human head falls within the target zone of the specific interface object in the user interface; and

changing the rendering of at least the targeted interface object within the user interface in response to the targeting 3D head gesture using the image processing system;

displaying the user interface via the display;

capturing additional image data using the image capture system;

determining that the targeting 3D head gesture targets the targeted interface object for a predetermined period of time, where the determination considers the targeting 3D head gesture to be targeting the targeted interface object during any period of time in which the targeting 3D head gesture does not target the targeted interface object that is less than a hysteresis threshold;

enabling a set of one or more interaction 3D head gestures for the targeted interface object in response to the detection of the targeting 3D head gesture using the computing device wherein each of the one or more interaction gestures is associated with a permitted interaction in a set of permitted interactions allowed for the targeted interface object and each permitted interaction is an action performed via the user interface to manipulate the targeted interface object;

displaying an interaction element indicating the time remaining to interact with the targeted interface object in response to a determination that the targeting 3D head gesture has targeted the interface object for a predetermined period of time using the image processing system;

tracking the motion of at least a portion of a human head within the 3D interaction zone in additional captured image data captured within a predetermined time period from the detection of the targeting 3D head gesture input using the image processing system;

identifying a change in pose for the at least a portion of a human head within the 3D interaction zone from the first pose to a second pose during the motion of the at least a portion of the human head within the 3D interaction zone during the motion using the image processing system;

determining the motion of the at least a portion of the human head corresponds to a specific interaction 3D head gesture from the set of one or more interaction gestures enabled for the targeted interface object that identifies a specific interaction with the targeted interface object using the image processing system;

verifying that the specific interaction 3D head gesture is associated with a specific interaction within the set of permitted interactions for the interface object using the image processing system;

modifying the user interface in response to the specific interaction with the targeted interface object identified by the specific interaction 3D head gesture using the image processing system;

rendering the modified user interface using the image processing system; and

displaying the rendered user interface using the display.

26. A real-time gesture based interactive system configured to display a user interface and receive three-dimensional (3D) gesture based input, comprising:

a processor;

an image capture system configured to capture image data and provide the captured image data to the processor;

memory containing;

an operating system;

an interactive application; and

a 3D gesture tracking application;

wherein the interactive application and the operating system configure the processor to;

generate and render an initial user interface comprising a set of interface objects, where each interface object includes a graphical element that is rendered when the interface object is rendered for display and a target zone that defines at least one region in the user interface in which the interface object is to be targeted; and

modify an initial user interface in response to a detected interaction with a targeted interface object and render an updated user interface; and

wherein the 3D gesture tracking application and the operating system configure the processor to;

capture image data using the image capture system;

detect a targeting gesture from the captured image data;

identify a specific interface object as the targeted interface object in response to a detection of the targeting gesture;

enable a set of one or more interaction 3D head gestures for the targeted interface object in response to the identifying of the targeting gesture wherein each of the one or more interaction 3D head gestures is associated with a permitted interaction in a set of permitted interactions allowed for the targeted interface object and each permitted interaction is an action performed via the user interface to manipulate the targeted interface object;

change the rendering of at least the targeted interface object within a user interface in response to detection of a targeting 3D gesture that targets the interface object;

capture additional image data;

track the motion of at least a portion of a human head in additional captured image data captured by the image capture system within a predetermined time period from the detection of the targeting gesture input using the image processing system;

determine the motion of the at least a portion of the human head corresponds to a specific interaction 3D head gesture from the set of one or more interaction gestures enabled for the targeted interface object that identifies a specific interaction with the targeted interface object using the image processing system; and

provide events corresponding to the specific interaction with targeted interface object to the interactive application.