INPUT APPARATUS, INPUT METHOD AND COMPUTER-EXECUTABLE PROGRAM

• US 20150227214A1
• Filed: 02/09/2015
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Jun, Shimotono, Susumu, Nomura, Ryohta
• Granted Patent: US 9,870,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks

Abstract

One embodiment provides a method, including: capturing, using a camera, an image of an object in contact with a hand of a user; determining, using a processor, that the hand of the user contacts the object; thereafter capturing, using the camera, controlling gesture input; detecting, within the controlling gesture input, a gesture that emulates use of a pointing device; and controlling an application running on an information handling device based on the controlling gesture input. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

capturing, using a camera, an image of an object in contact with a hand of a user;

determining, using a processor, that the hand of the user contacts the object;

thereafter capturing, using the camera, controlling gesture input;

detecting, within the controlling gesture input, a gesture that emulates use of a pointing device; and

controlling an application running on an information handling device based on the controlling gesture input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling gesture is selected from a group consisting of:

movement of the object and user gesture with respect to the object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting further comprises a detection method selected from a group consisting of:

plane detection, object detection, hand contact detection, and motion detection.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering a particular object for future identification.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the registering comprises assigning attributes to at least one particular feature of the object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlling an application comprises moving an on-screen indicator.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlling an application comprises performing an action associated with a mouse button click.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said gesture is selected from the group consisting of a single finger click gesture, a multiple finger click gesture, a right finger click gesture, a left finger click gesture, and a scrolling finger flick gesture.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the camera comprises a three dimensional camera.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising additionally detecting that gesture input comprises the user gesture not in contact with the object and thereafter controlling of the application ceases.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a camera;

a processor operatively coupled to the camera; and

a memory having instructions that are stored and executed by the processor to;

capture, using the camera, an image of an object in contact with a hand of a user;

determine, using the processor, that the hand of the user contacts the object;

thereafter capture, using the camera, controlling gesture input;

detect, within the controlling gesture input, a gesture that emulates use of a pointing device; and

control an application running on an information handling device based on the controlling gesture input.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controlling gesture is selected from a group consisting of:

movement of the object and user gesture with respect to the object.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein to detect further comprises a detection selected from a group consisting of:

plane detection, object detection, hand contact detection, and motion detection.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are executed to register a particular object for future identification.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein to register comprises assigning attributes to at least one particular feature of the object.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein to control an application comprises moving an on-screen indicator.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein to control an application comprises performing an action associated with a mouse button click.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said gesture is selected from the group consisting of a single finger click gesture, a multiple finger click gesture, a right finger click gesture, a left finger click gesture, and a scrolling finger flick gesture.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the camera comprises a three dimensional camera.

20. An input apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having instructions that executed by the processor to;

accept, from a camera, an image of an object in contact with a hand of a user;

determine that the hand of the user contacts the object;

thereafter accept controlling gesture input;

detect, within the controlling gesture input, a gesture that emulates use of a pointing device; and

control an application running on an information handling device based on the controlling gesture input.