Information processing apparatus, program, and information processing method

• US 8,281,260 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2008
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishigaki, Satoru, Ootake, Toshifumi, Sakamoto, Kei
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): ITURRALDE, ENRIQUE W
• Application Number:
  US12/191,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20090064054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 715856-863, 345157-159
• US Class Current: 715/856
• 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

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus is provided with a display section, and can be instructed to be operated by a pointer displayed on the display section, and includes a detection section for detecting, from an input image of a hand, a position of the hand in the image, an operation section for obtaining a probability that the hand exists in the image by using the latest detection result detected by the detection section, and a value of a probability distribution function having a peak at a position which has been evaluated last time as a position at which a probability that the hand exists is high, and a pointer display section for moving the pointer, on the basis of an evaluation value obtained from the probability, to a position at which the probability that the hand exists is the highest and displaying the pointer at the position.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus configured to display a pointer on a display device, comprising:

a detector to detect, from an input image of a hand, a position of the hand in the image; and

a processor configured to perform a process for moving the pointer in accordance with a detected position of the hand in the image,

wherein the processor is configured to calculate a target position of the pointer, based on a weighted average of (1) a first position being a previously calculated target position of the pointer and (2) a second position being a position at which a probability that the hand exists is the highest,

wherein a first weighting factor for the first position is obtained based on a probability distribution function having a peak at a position at which the probability that the hand exists is the highest and a second weighting factor for the second position is obtained based on the probability distribution function, in which a value of the first weighting factor decreases as a distance between the first position and the second position becomes longer, and the value of the first weighting factor increases and becomes a value close to the second weighting factor as the distance between the first position and the second position becomes shorter, and

wherein the processor is further configured to move the pointer to the target position.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a camera for shooting an image, wherein

the detector uses image data acquired from the camera as the input image.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having executable instructions for storing a program to be used in an information processing apparatus configured to display a pointer on a display device, the storage medium comprising:

a detector module configured to detect, from an input image of a hand, a position of the hand in the image; and

a processor module configured to perform a process for moving the pointer in accordance with a detected position of the hand in the image,

wherein the processor module is configured to calculate a target position of the pointer, based on a weighted average of (1) a first position being a previously calculated target position of the pointer and (2) a second position being a position at which a probability that the hand exists is the highest,

wherein a first weighting factor for the first position is obtained based on a probability distribution function having a peak at a position at which the probability that the hand exists is the highest and a second weighting factor for the second position is obtained based on the probability distribution function, in which a value of the first weighting factor decreases as a distance between the first position and the second position becomes longer, and the value of the first weighting factor increases and becomes a value close to the second weighting factor as the distance between the first position and the second position becomes shorter, and

wherein the processor module is further configured to move the pointer to the target position.

4. The storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the detector module further includes a procedure for acquiring the input image from a camera.

5. An information processing method of displaying a pointer on a display device, the method comprising:

detecting, from an input image of a hand, a position of the hand in the image;

moving the pointer in accordance with a detected position of the hand in the image;

calculating a target position of the pointer, based on a weighted average of (1) a first position being a previously calculated target position of the pointer and (2) a second position being a position at which a probability that the hand exists is the highest, in which a first weighting factor for the first position being obtained based on a probability distribution function having a peak at a position at which the probability that the hand exists is the highest, the weighting factor for the second position being obtained based on the probability distribution function, and a value of the first weighting factor decreases as a distance between the first position and the second position becomes longer, and the value of the first weighting factor increases and becomes a value close to the second weighting factor as the distance between the first position and the second position becomes shorter, and

moving the pointer on the display device to the target position.

6. The information processing method according to claim 5, further comprising, before detecting a position of the hand, acquiring the input image from a camera.