Method, apparatus and system for recognizing actions

• US 6,941,239 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Oho, Shigeru, Unuma, Munetoshi, Nonaka, Shiro
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, KAMINI S
• Application Number:
  US10/438,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20030208335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: H04/B00.7/05, A61/B00.5/00, 702/141, 702/188, 702/189, 340/853.2, 340/825.49, 345/115, 345/440, 345/420, 345/475, 345/473, 701/207, 701/214
• US Class Current: 702/141
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6828 Leg
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/726 using Wavelet transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0071 Distinction between different activities, movements, or kind of sports performed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• 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: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a method, an apparatus and a system for automatically recognizing motions and actions of moving objects such as humans, animals and machines.

Measuring instruments are attached to an object under observation. The instruments measure a status change entailing the object'"'"'s motion or action and to issue a signal denoting the measurements. A characteristic quantity extraction unit extracts a characteristic quantity from the measurement signal received which represents the motion or action currently performed by the object under observation. A signal processing unit for motion/action recognition correlates the extracted characteristic quantity with reference data in a database containing previously acquired characteristic quantities of motions and actions. The motion or action represented by the characteristic quantity with the highest degree of correlation is recognized and output.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a position of a subject comprising the steps of:

recognizing a number of steps, a direction, absolute location of the subject, and action/movement of the subject, based on signals received from a device attached to the subject;

when action/movement recognition indicates movement of the subject, estimating a migration length of the subject based on the recognized number of steps, determined by said recognizing a number of steps, and a predetermined stride for the subject;

calculating a relative position, relative to the absolute location of subject which is a specified location of the subject as an initial value according to the recognized action/movement of the subject, sequentially by using the recognized direction and the estimated migration length;

specifying a position of the subject from the relative position and the absolute location; and

displaying on a display the specific position of the subject.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined stride is the stride which is calculated by a result of the action/movement recognition, such as “

running”

or “

walking”

, or the like.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a relative position, relative to the absolute location of subject which is a specified position of the subject as the initial value, is calculated sequentially by using the recognized direction, the specified position, and the estimated migration length, and

a trace of the subject is displayed by displaying sequentially calculated relative positions of the subject.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the subject has reached a spot that the present position of the subject can specify as an absolute location such as an entrance of a building among geographical information or information in a building, the present position is overwritten with the spot.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein by means of the action/movement recognition, the action/movement that the subject performs is recognized and displayed.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein in accordance with biological information of the subject, said action/movement is recognized, and when the action/movement recognized about the subject falls under a specified action/movement pattern such as illness or injury this recognition is displayed.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein on the occasion of displaying action/movement of subject, displaying personal information of the subject.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein when there are plural subjects, those subjects are grouped and their personal information is displayed with the degree of detail changed according to the group of which the subject is a part.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the biological information includes at least one of pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, blood sugar value, breathing, value of electromyography (EMG), value of electrocardiograph (ECG), blood flow, or brain waves.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the initial value is determined by the relevant geographical information which is correspondence to the recognized action/movement of the subject.