Method for controlling gesture-based remote control system

• US 8,112,719 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2009
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Topseed Technology Corp.
• Original Assignee: Topseed Technology Corp.
• Inventors: Chen, Shoei-Lai, Hsu, Che-Hao
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hope, Darrin
• Application Number:
  US12/471,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/863
• US Class Current: 715/810
• 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 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113

Abstract

A method for controlling a gesture-based remote control system (100) is provided to control a controlled electronic appliance by detecting an image of a user'"'"'s gesture. A movement area in the image of the user'"'"'s gesture detected. The user'"'"'s gesture is judged as an adjusted gesture when the movement of the motion region is continual. The controlled electronic appliance is controlled by a key controlling command based on the adjusted gesture and sent by a wireless transmitter.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a gesture-based remote control system, and a controlled electronic application controlled by detecting gestures of a user, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting an image of a user'"'"'s gesture;

(b) detecting bounds of a movement area in the image of the user'"'"'s gesture;

(c) judging the user'"'"'s gesture as an adjusted gesture when the movement of the movement area is continual in a designated direction; and

(d) transmitting a key control command corresponded to the adjusted gesture through a wireless transmitter;

wherein in the step (b) further comprising the steps of;

(b1′

) adjusting the image of the user'"'"'s gesture to obtain an adjusted image;

(b2′

) calculating the adjusted image by using an image difference method to obtain an adjusted motion image, the image difference method including the steps of;

using three continuous gesture images to calculate the adjusted motion image, the three continuous gesture images being a current grey-level image, a preceding grey-level image and a pre-preceding grey-level image, the preceding grey-level image being an image before the current grey-level image and the pre-preceding grey-level image being an image before the preceding grey-level image,

converting the grey-level images into a binary image by using a first gray-level threshold value and a second gray-level threshold value, the current grey-level image being subtracted by the preceding grey-level image to obtain a first grey-level image,

comparing a grey value of each pixel of the first grey-level image to the first gray-level threshold value, being set as a bright pixel when the grey value of the pixel is greater than or equal to the first gray-level, threshold value and a pixel being set as a dark pixel when the grey value of the pixel, is less than the first gray-level threshold value, wherein a first binary image is composed of the bright pixels and the dark pixels

subtracting a preceding grey-level image by the pre-preceding grey-level image to obtain a second grey-level image

comparing a grey value of each pixel of the first grey-level image to the second gray-level threshold value and setting the pixels as bright pixels or dark pixels to form a second binary image; and

comparing the first binary image and the second binary image to produce a third binary image and thereby detect images of the user'"'"'s gesture;

(b3′

) detecting the adjusted motion image to obtain a movement image; and

(b4′

) defining a movement area in the movement image, the movement area boundaries being determined to define the movement area, a click gesture being recognized to provide a click command when the movement area overlaps a click defined area and a slide gesture being recognized when the movement area continually moves in a designated direction.

2. The control method in claim 1, wherein the controlled electronic application is a television, a DVD player, an air conditioner, or a computer.

3. The control method in claim 1, wherein the key control command corresponded to the adjusted gesture includes an increment key control command and a decrement key control command.

4. The control method in claim 1, wherein the step (c) that the movement area continually moves in a designated direction means the movement area continually moves in a lateral direction.

5. The control method in claim 4, wherein the lateral direction is a leftward direction or a rightward direction.

6. The control method in claim 1, after the step (b) further comprising the step of:

(b1) judging a position gesture when the movement area transits from lateral to lengthwise or lengthwise to lateral changes.

7. The control method in claim 6, after the step (b1) further comprising the steps of:

(b2) displaying an operation menu with a plurality of operation options;

(b3) setting a click defined block corresponded to the operation menu;

(b4) judging a click gesture when the movement area overlaps the click defined block; and

(b5) transmitting an option signal corresponded to the click gesture through a wireless transmitter to select an operation option.

8. The control method in claim 7, wherein the step (c) further comprising the steps of:

(c1) judging a cancel gesture when the movement area continually move in a lateral direction; and

(c2) transmitting a key control command corresponded to the cancel gesture through a wireless transmitter.

9. The control method in claim 1, wherein the step (c) further comprising:

(b11) adjusting processed size of the image of the user'"'"'s gesture to a predetermined size;

(b12) transforming colors of the image of the user'"'"'s gesture; and

(b13) filtering speckle noises of the image of the user'"'"'s gesture.

10. The control method in claim 9, wherein the step (b12) transforms colors of the image of the user'"'"'s gesture from the 24-bit full-color image to the 8-bit gray-level image.