Information processing apparatus, method for controlling information processing apparatus, and storage medium

• US 9,513,715 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakama, Motoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Watko, Julie Anne
• Application Number:
  US14/464,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20150054735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An information processing apparatus configured to recognize a touch of a recognition object onto an operation surface based on a proximity state between the operation surface and the recognition object, includes a position detection unit configured to detect an instruction position indicated by the recognition object, and an identification unit configured to identify a position at which the instruction position detected by the position detection unit is estimated to stop moving while the operation surface and the recognition object are located closer to each other than a predetermined distance, as a position touched by the recognition object.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus configured to recognize a touch of a recognition object onto an operation surface based on a proximity state between the operation surface and the recognition object, the information processing apparatus comprising at least one processor coupled to at least one memory, the at least one processor being programmed to function as:

a position detection unit configured to detect an instruction position indicated by the recognition object;

a state determination unit configured to determine that the operation surface is in a state touched by the recognition object during a time period since a distance between the operation surface and the recognition object falls below a first threshold value until the distance exceeds a second threshold value; and

an identification unit configured to identify a position at which the instruction position detected by the position detection unit is estimated to stop moving while the state determination unit keeps determining that the operation surface is in the state touched by the recognition object during the time period since the distance between the operation surface and the recognition object falls below the first threshold value until the distance exceeds the second threshold value, as a position touched by the recognition object.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification unit identifies a position at which the instruction position detected by the position detection unit is estimated to stop moving for the first time during the time period since the distance between the operation surface and the recognition object falls below the first threshold value until the distance exceeds the second threshold value, as a touch position when a touch input starts.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identification unit identifies a position at which the instruction position detected by the position detection unit is estimated to stop moving for the last time during the time period since the distance between the operation surface and the recognition object falls below the first threshold value until the distance exceeds the second threshold value, as a touch position when the touch input ends.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a recognition unit configured to recognize that a tap operation is input, if the position identified by the identification unit as the touch position when the touch input starts, and the position identified by the identification unit as the touch position when the touch input ends coincide with each other.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the recognition unit recognizes that a move operation starts, if a distance between the position identified by the identification unit as the touch position when the touch input starts, and the position identified by the identification unit as the touch position when the touch input ends is longer than a predetermined threshold value.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a display control unit configured to control an image to be displayed on the operation surface,

wherein the display control unit displaces a display item displayed at the position identified by the identification unit as the touch position when the touch input starts, to the position identified by the identification unit as the touch position when the touch input ends, if the recognition unit recognizes that the move operation starts.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the recognition unit recognizes that a move operation starts, if the position identified by the identification unit as the touch position when the touch input starts, and the position identified by the identification unit as the touch position when the touch input ends do not coincide with each other.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a display control unit configured to control an image to be displayed on the operation surface,

wherein the display control unit displays an image corresponding to a display item displayed at the touch position when the touch input starts, which is identified by the identification unit, on the operation surface, if the recognition unit recognizes that the tap operation is input.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold value is larger than the first threshold value.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification unit further identifies a position at which the distance between the operation surface and the recognition object falls below the first threshold value as a start position of a hover operation by the recognition object, and identifies a position at which the distance between the operation surface and the recognition object exceeds the second threshold value as an end position of the hover operation by the recognition object.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a region detection unit configured to detect a movement region where the recognition object exists from an input image captured by an imaging unit,

wherein the position detection unit detects the instruction position indicated by the recognition object based on a shape of the movement region detected by the region detection unit.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the imaging unit is an infrared camera configured to detect infrared light, and the input image is information including a luminance value of the infrared light detected by the infrared camera.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold value is larger than the first threshold value.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first threshold value is equal to the second threshold value.

15. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus configured to recognize a touch of a recognition object onto an operation surface based on a proximity state between the operation surface and the recognition object, the method comprising:

detecting an instruction position indicated by the recognition object;

determining that the operation surface is in a state touched by the recognition object during a time period since a distance between the operation surface and the recognition object falls below a first threshold value until the distance exceeds a second threshold value; and

identifying a position at which the detected instruction position is estimated to stop moving while the determining keeps determining that the operation surface is in the state touched by the recognition object during the time period since the distance between the operation surface and the recognition object falls below the first threshold value until the distance exceeds the second threshold value, as a position touched by the recognition object.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program which, when read and executed by at least one processor in a computer, causes the computer to function as each unit of an information processing apparatus configured to recognized a touch of a recognition object onto a operation surface based on a proximity state between the operation surface and the recognition object, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a position detection unit configured to detect and instruction position indicated by the recognition object;

a state determination unit configured to determine that the operation surface is in a state touched by the recognition object during a time period since a distance between the operation surface and the recognition object falls below a first threshold value until the distance exceeds a second threshold value; and

an identification unit configured to identify a position at which the instruction position detected by the position detection unit is estimated to stop moving while the state determination unit keeps determining that the operation surface is in the state touched by the recognition object during the time period since the distance between the operation surface and the recognition object falls below the first threshold value until the distance exceeds the second threshold value, as a position touched by the recognition object.