Apparatuses and methods for providing a 3D man-machine interface (MMI)

• US 8,670,023 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2011
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xueshan Technologies Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Hu, Yueh-Wei, Chen, Cheng-Che, Chiou, Ting
• Primary Examiner(s): Dastouri, Mehrdad
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELAHI, SHAN E
• Application Number:
  US13/007,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20120182396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 348/47
• US Class Current: 348/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images

Abstract

An electronic interaction apparatus for providing a 3D MMI is provided with a processing unit. The processing unit determines a first length between an object positioned at a first time and a surface formed by two digital camera modules, and a second length between the object positioned at a second time and the surface. Also, the processing unit determines a third length between the object positioned at a third time and the surface, and determines a depth in a virtual 3D space corresponding to the object positioned at the third time according to the first length, the second length, and the third length. Particularly, the virtual 3D space is displayed in a display screen, the third time is later than the first time and the second time, and the third length is longer than the first length and shorter than the second length.

Claims

1. An electronic interaction apparatus for providing a 3D man-machine interface (MMI), comprising:

a processing device, determining a first length between an object positioned at a first time and a surface formed by two digital camera devices, determining a second length between the object positioned at a second time and the surface, determining a third length between the object positioned at a third time and the surface, and determining a depth in a virtual 3D space corresponding to the object positioned at the third time according to the first length, the second length, and the third length,

wherein the virtual 3D space is displayed in a display screen, the third time is later than the first time and the second time, and the third length is longer than the first length and shorter than the second length,

wherein the processing device determines the depth in the virtual 3D space using the following formula;

2. The electronic interaction apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two digital camera devices are disposed to be at a first distance from each other, and the processing device further obtains two images of the object at each of the first time, the second time, and the third time via the two digital camera devices.

3. The electronic interaction apparatus of claim 2, wherein the object in one of the images captured at the first, second or third time is positioned at a second distance from the object in the other one of the images, and the processing device further determines the first length, the second length or the third length according to the first distance and the corresponding second distance.

4. The electronic interaction apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing device further determines the first, second or third length using the following formula:

5. The electronic interaction apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processing device further determines the first length, the second length, or the third length according to a predetermined lookup table storing mapping information between a plurality of predetermined lengths from the surface, and a plurality of differences between the positions of an subject in two images captured by the two digital camera devices.

6. The electronic interaction apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processing device further searches the lookup table for a match for the corresponding second distance and obtains the first, second or third length in accordance with the match.

7. The electronic interaction apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first length and the second length correspond to a farthest end and a nearest end of the virtual 3D space, respectively.

8. The electronic interaction apparatus of claim 7, wherein processing device further configures the display screen to display a first indication and a second indication in the virtual 3D space, informing user to place the object to point to the farthest end and the nearest end of the virtual 3D space, respectively.

9. The electronic interaction apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second times are during a calibration procedure, and the third time is during regular manipulation.

10. A method for providing a 3D man-machine interface (MMI), comprising:

determining a first length between an object positioned at a first time and a surface formed by two digital camera devices;

determining a second length between the object positioned at a second time and the surface;

determining a third length between the object positioned at a third time and the surface, wherein the third time is later than the first time and the second time, and the third length is longer than the first length and shorter than the second length; and

determining a depth in a virtual 3D space corresponding to the object positioned at the third time according to the first length, the second length, and the third length,

wherein the determination step for the depth further comprising determines the depth in the virtual 3D space using the following formula;

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the two digital camera modules are disposed to be at a first distance from each other, and each determination step for the first, second and third lengths further comprises capturing two images of the object at the first time, the second time, or the third time by the two digital camera modules.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the object in one of the images captured at the first, second or third time is positioned at a second distance from the object in the other one of the images, and each determination step for the first, second and third lengths further comprises determining the first, second or third length according to the first distance and the corresponding second distance.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determination step for the first, second or third length further comprises using the following formula to determine the first, second or third length,

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the determination step for the first, second or third length further comprises determining the first length, the second length, or the third length according to a predetermined lookup table storing mapping information between a plurality of predetermined lengths from the surface, and a plurality of differences between the positions of an subject in two images captured by the two digital camera devices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determination step for the first, second or third length further comprises:

searching the lookup table for a match for the corresponding second distance; and

obtaining the first, second or third length in accordance with the match.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the first length and the second length correspond to a farthest end and a nearest end of the virtual 3D space, respectively.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining step for the first length further comprising displaying a first indication in the virtual 3D space, informing user to place the object to point to the farthest end of the virtual 3D space, and the determination step for the second length further comprising displaying a second indication in the virtual 3D space, informing user to place the object to point to the nearest end of the virtual 3D space.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the determination steps for the first and second lengths are during a calibration procedure, and the determination step for the third length is during regular manipulation.