Method and system for operating electric apparatus

• US 8,339,359 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2010
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tatung Company, Tatung University
• Original Assignee: Tatung Company, Tatung University
• Inventors: Hsieh, Chen-Chiung, Chiu, Yao-De
• Primary Examiner(s): OSORIO, RICARDO
• Application Number:
  US12/688,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20110175802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/163, 345/168, 345/169, 345/173, 348/77, 382/115, 382/103, 382/288, 382/291
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/2135 based on approximation criteria, e.g. principal component analysis
• 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 10/56 relating to colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/113 Recognition of static hand signs

Abstract

A method and a system for operating an electric apparatus are provided. In the present invention, first, an image capturing unit is enabled for capturing an image. Next, a palm component on the image is detected. Afterwards, a center of mass in the palm component is calculated according to a principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm, so as to use the center of mass to simulate a cursor. Then, a width of the palm of the palm component is calculated. Finally, the width of the palm is compared with a threshold so as to execute a click action if the width of the palm is greater than the threshold.

Claims

1. A method for operating an electronic apparatus, comprising:

enabling an image capturing unit for capturing an image;

detecting a skin color sample of a face component in the image;

detecting a hand component in the image according to the skin color sample;

calculating a feature projection of the hand component according to a principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm, so as to obtain a palm component;

calculating a center of mass of the palm component according to the PCA algorithm, so as to use the center of mass to simulate a cursor;

calculating a palm width of the palm component according to the PCA algorithm; and

comparing the palm width with a threshold, so as to execute a click action if the palm width is greater than the threshold.

2. The method for operating the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the step of capturing the image, the method further comprises:

executing a face recognition operation to the image to obtain the face component.

3. The method for operating the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of calculating the palm width of the palm component comprises:

calculating the palm width according to a feature projection of the palm component.

4. The method for operating the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein before the step of calculating the feature projection of the hand component, the method further comprises:

executing an edge detection to the hand component to obtain an edge feature vector, and using the PCA algorithm to calculate the feature projection according to the edge feature vector.

5. The method for operating the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of comparing the palm width with the threshold comprises:

comparing the palm width with a face area of a face component.

6. The method for operating the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the click action is executed when the palm width is greater than a quarter of the face area.

7. The method for operating the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

taking a first image captured after the image capturing unit is enabled as a reference image, and taking a palm width of the reference image as the threshold.

8. The method for operating the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a distance between centers of mass of the palm components if another palm component in the image is detected and when a picture is browsed, so as to zoom the picture according to the distance.

9. The method for operating the electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

executing a rotation action according to centers of mass of the palm components if another palm component in the image is detected.

10. An operating system, configured to an electronic apparatus, the operating system comprising:

an image capturing unit, for capturing an image;

an image processing module, for detecting a skin color sample of a face component in the image, detecting a hand component in the image according to the skin color sample, calculating a feature projection of the hand component according to a principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm, so as to obtain a palm component, and calculating a center of mass of the palm component, and a palm width of the palm component according to the PCA algorithm; and

a calculation module, using the center of mass to simulate a cursor, and comparing the palm width with a threshold, so as to execute a click action if the palm width is greater than the threshold.

11. The operating system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the image processing module further executes a face recognition operation to the image to obtain the face component.

12. The operating system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the image processing module further calculates the palm width according to a feature projection of the palm component.

13. The operating system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the image processing module further performs an edge detection to the hand component to obtain an edge feature vector, and uses the PCA algorithm to calculate the feature projection according to the edge feature vector.

14. The operating system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the calculation module further determines whether the palm width is greater than a quarter of a face area, so as to execute the click action when the palm width is greater than a quarter of the face area.

15. The operating system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the calculation module takes a first image captured after the image capturing unit is enabled as a reference image, and takes the palm width of the reference image as the threshold.

16. The operating system as claimed in claim 10, wherein if the image comprises another palm component, when a picture is browsed, the calculation module calculates a distance between centers of mass of the palm components, so as to zoom the picture according to the distance.

17. The operating system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the calculation module further executes a rotation action according to centers of mass of the palm components if the image comprises another palm component.