Method for outputting command by detecting object movement and system thereof

• US 10,599,224 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2015
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richtek Technology Corporation (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Richtek Technology Corporation (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huang, Yu-Hao, Lee, Yi-Fang, Kao, Ming-Tsan, Chen, Nien-Tse
• Primary Examiner(s): Mercedes, Dismery
• Application Number:
  US14/715,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20150248172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,772 Days
• Field of Search: 345156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• 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 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• 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 3/0425 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 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for outputting a command by detecting a movement of an object, which includes the following steps. First, an image capturing device captures images generated by the movement of the object at different timings by. Next, a motion trajectory is calculated according to the plurality of images. Further next, a corresponding command is outputted according to the motion trajectory. The present invention also provides a system which employs the above-mentioned method.

Claims

1. A method for outputting a command by detecting a movement of an object, the method comprising:

capturing a plurality of images generated by the movement of the object at different timings by an image capturing device;

calculating a motion trajectory according to the images, wherein the motion trajectory includes a rotation; and

outputting the command according to the motion trajectory to control an action of an electronic device;

wherein when the object stops moving, the action of the electronic device is decelerated according to a function of a speed of the object in a time period before the object stops moving; and

wherein one command includes one or more command units, and when the object moves relatively faster, by a motion trajectory, more command units are outputted, while when the object moves relatively slower, by the same motion trajectory, less command unit or units are outputted, whereby different commands are outputted according to different rotation velocities of the movement of the object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating the motion trajectory according to the plurality of images comprises:

subtracting a position of gravity center of the object in each of the images by a position of gravity center of the object in a previous image so as to obtain a motion vector corresponding to each image; and

calculating the motion trajectory according to the motion vectors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of calculating the motion trajectory according to the motion vectors comprises:

generating object rotation information according to the motion vectors, wherein the object rotation information comprises one or more of a rotation plane normal vector, rotation angle, angular velocity, speed, rotation radius and trajectory length; and

outputting the command to execute a software application program of an electrical device according to the object rotation information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of outputting the command according to the object rotation information comprises:

outputting the command to control a rotation of one or more predetermined angle units according to the rotation plane normal vector and the rotation angle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined angle unit is adaptively adjusted according to a trajectory velocity or an angular velocity.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein when the object stops rotating, the rotation of one or more predetermined angle units is decelerated according to an average speed or average angular velocity of the object rotation information in the time period before the object stops rotating.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

illuminating the object with an invisible light source, wherein the image capturing device is for detecting light emitted from the invisible light source.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating a motion trajectory according to the plurality of images comprises:

detecting a change of shape, size, light intensity or position of the object in the images to determine whether the motion trajectory is a horizontal motion trajectory or a vertical motion trajectory.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the object includes a part of a hand of a user.

10. A system for outputting a command by detecting a movement of an object, the system comprising:

an image capturing device for capturing a plurality of images generated by the movement of the object at different timings; and

a processing unit for receiving the plurality of images and calculating a motion trajectory according to the plurality of images and outputting the command according to the motion trajectory to control an electronic device, wherein the motion trajectory includes a rotation;

wherein when the object stops moving, the action of the electronic device is decelerated according to a function of a speed of the object in a time period before the object stops moving; and

wherein one command includes one or more command units, and when the object moves relatively faster, by a motion trajectory, more command units are outputted, while when the object moves relatively slower, by the same motion trajectory, less command unit or units are outputted, whereby different commands are outputted according to different rotation velocities of the movement of the object.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an invisible light source for illuminating the object, wherein the image capturing device is for detecting light emitted from the invisible light source.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the step performed by the processing unit for calculating the motion trajectory according to the plurality of images comprises:

subtracting a position of gravity center of the object in each of the images by a position of gravity center of the object in a previous image so as to obtain a motion vector corresponding to each image; and

calculating the motion trajectory according to the motion vectors.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the step of calculating the motion trajectory according to the motion vectors comprises:

generating the object rotation information according to the motion vectors, wherein the object rotation information comprises one or more of a rotation plane normal vector, rotation angle, angular velocity, speed, rotation radius and trajectory length; and

outputting the command to execute a software application program of an electrical device according to the object rotation information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the step of outputting the command according to the object rotation information further comprises:

outputting the command to control a rotation of one or more predetermined angle units according to the rotation plane normal vector and the rotation angle.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the predetermined angle unit is adaptively adjusted according to a trajectory velocity or an angular velocity.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein when the object stops rotating, the rotation of one or more predetermined angle units is decelerated according to an average speed or average angular velocity of the object rotation information in the time period before the object stops rotating.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the step performed by the processing unit for calculating a motion trajectory according to the plurality of images comprises:

detecting a change of shape, size, light intensity or position of the object in the images to determine whether the motion trajectory is a horizontal motion trajectory or a vertical motion trajectory.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the object includes a part of a hand of a user.

19. A method for outputting a command by detecting a movement of an object, the method comprising:

capturing a plurality of images generated by the movement of the object at different timings by an image capturing device; and

calculating a motion trajectory according to the images, wherein the motion trajectory includes a rotation; and

outputting the command according to the motion trajectory and a velocity of the motion trajectory to control an action of an electronic device;

wherein the motion trajectory includes one or more predetermined angle units, and a motion trajectory having a relatively faster velocity generates the command corresponding to a more number of predetermined angle units by a motion trajectory, while a motion trajectory having a relatively slower velocity generates the command corresponding to a less number of predetermined angle units by the same motion trajectory, whereby different commands are outputted according to different rotation velocities of the movement of the object.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein when the motion trajectory has a relatively faster velocity, the predetermined angle unit is set relatively smaller, and when the motion trajectory has a relatively slower velocity, the predetermined angle unit is set relatively larger.