Recognizing apparatus and method, recording media, and program

• US 7,853,051 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Ota, Shunji
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu; Tom Y
• Application Number:
  US11/527,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20070071321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/107, 382/118, 345/863
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16

Abstract

The present invention enables a user'"'"'s movement indicating his or her intention to be recognized easily and accurately. On the basis of image data taken by a camera 13, a face direction detecting section 14 senses the direction of a user'"'"'s face and a line-of-sight sensing section 15 senses the direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight. When the user'"'"'s face is directed downward, while the user'"'"'s line of sight is directed upward with respect to the face direction, a nod recognizing section 21 recognizes that the user has nodded. When the user'"'"'s face is directed rightward or leftward, while the user'"'"'s line of sight is directed in a direction laterally opposite to the face direction, a head shake recognizing section 22 recognizes that the user has shaken his or her head. The present invention is applicable to an intention checking apparatus that checks the driver'"'"'s intention.

Claims

1. A recognizing apparatus comprising:

face direction sensing means for sensing a direction of a user'"'"'s face;

line-of-sight direction sensing means for sensing a direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight; and

movement recognizing means for recognizing that the user has nodded to indicate the user'"'"'s intention if the user is in a state in which the direction of the user'"'"'s face sensed by the face direction sensing means is directed downward while the direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight sensed by the line-of-sight direction sensing means is directed upward with respect to the direction of the face sensed by the face direction sensing means.

2. The recognizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the state is a first state, and

the movement recognizing means recognizes that the user has nodded to indicate the user'"'"'s intention if, within a predetermined time after the user is urged to indicate the user'"'"'s intention, the user makes a first change in which the user moves from a second state to the first state or a second change in which the user moves from the first state to the second state.

3. The recognizing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the movement recognizing means recognizes that the user has nodded to indicate the user'"'"'s intention if, within the predetermined time, the user makes the first change at least a predetermined first number of times and makes the second change at least a predetermined second number of times.

4. The recognizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement recognizing means recognizes that the user has nodded to indicate the user'"'"'s intention if the user is in a first state in which, within the predetermined time, the face is tilted downward at least a predetermined first angle from a predetermined direction, the line of sight is tilted upward at least a predetermined second angle with respect to the direction of the face, a sum of an angle of the face tilted downward from the predetermined direction and an angle of the line of sight tilted upward with respect to the direction of the face becomes at least a predetermined threshold, and a leftward or rightward direction of the face is less than a predetermined third angle from the predetermined direction.

5. The recognizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement recognizing means recognizes that the user has shaken the user'"'"'s head to indicate the user'"'"'s intention if the user is in a first state in which the user'"'"'s face is directed rightward while the user'"'"'s line of sight is directed leftward with respect to the direction of the face or if the user is in a second state in which the user'"'"'s face is directed leftward while the user'"'"'s line of sight is directed rightward with respect to the direction of the face.

6. The recognizing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the movement recognizing means recognizes that the user has shaken the user'"'"'s head to indicate the user'"'"'s intention if, within a predetermined time after the user is urged to indicate the user'"'"'s intention, the user makes a first change in which the user moves from a third state to the first state, a second change in which the user moves from the third state to the second state, a third change in which the user moves from the first state to the third state, or a fourth change in which the user moves from the second state to the third state.

7. The recognizing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the movement recognizing means recognizes that the user has shaken the user'"'"'s head to indicate the user'"'"'s intention if, within the predetermined time, the user makes the first change at least a predetermined first number of times and makes the second change at least a predetermined second number of times.

8. The recognizing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the movement recognizing means recognizes that the user has shaken the user'"'"'s head to indicate the user'"'"'s intention if:

the user is in a third state in which, within the predetermined time, the face is turned rightward at least a predetermined first angle from a predetermined direction, the line of sight is turned leftward to at least a predetermined second angle with respect to the direction of the face, a sum of an angle of the face turned rightward from the predetermined direction and an angle of the line of sight turned leftward with respect to the direction of the face becomes at least a predetermined threshold, and an upward or downward direction of the face is less than a predetermined third angle from the predetermined direction, or

the user is in a fourth state in which, within the predetermined time, the face is turned leftward to at least the first angle from the predetermined direction, the line of sight is turned rightward to at least the second angle with respect to the direction of the face, a sum of an angle of the face turned leftward from the predetermined direction and an angle of the line of sight turned rightward with respect to the direction of the face becomes at least the predetermined threshold, and the upward or downward direction of the face is less than the predetermined third angle from the predetermined direction.

9. The recognizing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising intention recognizing means for recognizing the user'"'"'s intention on the basis of the user'"'"'s movement indicating the user'"'"'s intention recognized by the movement recognizing means.

10. A recognizing method comprising:

sensing a direction of a user'"'"'s face;

sensing a direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight; and

recognizing that the user has nodded to indicate the user'"'"'s intention if the user is in a state in which the direction of the sensed user'"'"'s face is directed downward while the direction of the sensed user'"'"'s line of sight is directed upward with respect to the direction of the sensed user'"'"'s face.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a program for allowing a computer to execute a process comprising:

sensing a direction of a user'"'"'s face;

sensing a direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight; and

recognizing that the user has nodded to indicate the user'"'"'s intention if the user is in a state in which the direction of the sensed user'"'"'s face is directed downward while the direction of the sensed user'"'"'s line of sight is directed upward with respect to the direction of the sensed user'"'"'s face.

12. A recognizing apparatus comprising:

face direction sensing section configured to sense a direction of a user'"'"'s face;

line-of-sight direction sensing section configured to sense a direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight; and

movement recognizing section configured to recognize that the user has nodded to indicate the user'"'"'s intention if the user is in a state in which the direction of the user'"'"'s face sensed by the face direction sensing section is directed downward while the direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight sensed by the line-of-sight direction sensing section is directed upward with respect to the direction of the face sensed by the face direction sensing section.