ACTION RECOGNITION APPARATUS, ACTION RECOGNITION SYSTEM, AND ACTION RECOGNITION METHOD

• US 20100174674A1
• Filed: 12/24/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi-Ge Nuclear Energy Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi-Ge Nuclear Energy Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Akagi, Kenji, Yuda, Shinya, Unuma, Munetoshi
• Application Number:
  US12/647,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174674A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/54
• 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 3/0346 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

Abstract

An action recognition apparatus includes: an action detection unit for detecting an action of a subject to be recognized; an estimation processing unit for previously narrowing down action types of which actions of the subject is to be recognized; a selection processing unit for selecting a recognition method and a dictionary by referencing a recognition method/dictionary database, based on the action types narrowed down by the processing unit; and a recognition processing unit for performing an action recognition using the recognition method and the dictionary selected by the selection processing unit. The recognition processing unit performs an action recognition processing of information detected by the action detection unit, based on only the action types narrowed down by the estimation processing unit.

Claims

1. An action recognition apparatus for obtaining information from an action detection sensor attached to a subject and recognizing an action type which indicates each state of contents of an action performed by the subject, the action recognition apparatus comprising:

an action detection unit that detects an action of the subject using the information from the action detection sensor;

a storage unit that stores therein a recognition method/dictionary database in which a recognition method for recognizing information detected by the action detection unit and information indicating a characteristic of each action type referenced corresponding to the recognition method, as a dictionary, are registered;

an estimation processing unit that estimates action types of which action is to be performed by the subject and narrowing down the action types;

a selection processing unit that selects the recognition method and the dictionary using the recognition method/dictionary database, based on the action type narrowed down by the estimation processing unit; and

a recognition processing unit that performs a recognition processing of the information detected by the action detection unit based on the action types narrowed down by the estimation processing unit, using the recognition method and the dictionary selected by the selection processing unit.

2. The action recognition apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the storage unit further comprises:

a schedule information database that stores therein information on action contents scheduled in time series; and

a schedule correspondence database that stores therein a correspondence relation between the action contents and an action type corresponding thereto, and

wherein the estimation processing unit obtains the action contents stored in the schedule information database and scheduled in time series, retrieves the action types corresponding to the obtained action contents from the schedule correspondence database, and obtains the retrieved action types as narrowed-down action types subjected to a recognition processing.

3. The action recognition apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the estimation processing unit switches action contents to be recognized, based on the action contents stored in the schedule information database and scheduled in time series, retrieves action types to be newly recognized corresponding to the action contents from the schedule correspondence database, and obtains the retrieved action types as narrowed-down action types subjected to a recognition processing.

4. The action recognition apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the storage unit further comprises a characteristics database that stores therein a characteristic action type for identifying action contents,

the action recognition apparatus further comprising a delimiting recognition processing unit that detects a delimiting time between action contents, based on the action contents scheduled in series and obtained by the estimation processing unit and based on a recognized result obtained by performing, by the recognition processing unit, a recognition processing of the characteristic action type stored in the characteristics database.

5. The action recognition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a position detection unit that obtains positional information from a position sensor attached to the subject and detecting a position of the subject; and

a position correspondence database provided in the storage unit, that stores therein a correspondence relation between the positional information of the subject and an action type of which action is performed by the subject,

wherein the estimation processing unit obtains the positional information detected by the position detection unit, retrieves action types corresponding to the obtained positional information from the position correspondence database, and obtains the retrieved action types as narrowed-down action types subjected to a recognition processing.

6. An action recognition system comprising:

a step management device that manages schedule information on action contents of which action is performed by a subject; and

an action recognition apparatus that obtains information from an action detection sensor attached to the subject and recognizing an action type which indicates each state of contents of an action performed by the subject,

the step management device and the action recognition apparatus being communicably connected to each other,

wherein the step management device comprises;

a storage unit that stores therein schedule information on action contents scheduled in time series;

a step management unit that manages the schedule information on the action contents; and

a communication unit that transmits the schedule information to the action recognition apparatus, and

wherein the action recognition apparatus comprises;

an action detection unit that detects an action of the subject, using the information from the action detection sensor;

a storage unit that stores therein

a recognition method/dictionary database in which a recognition method for recognizing information detected by the action detection unit and information indicating a characteristic of each action type referenced corresponding to the recognition method, as a dictionary, are registered, and

a schedule correspondence database in which a correspondence relation between the action contents and action types corresponding thereto is stored;

a communication unit that receives the schedule information from the step management device;

an estimation processing unit that obtains the schedule information via the communication unit and narrowing down the action types to be recognized corresponding to the action contents, by referencing the schedule correspondence database;

a selection processing unit that selects the recognition method and the dictionary using the recognition method/dictionary database, based on the action types narrowed down by the estimation processing unit; and

a recognition processing unit that performs a recognition processing of the information detected by the action detection unit, based on the action types narrowed down by the estimation processing unit, using the recognition method and the dictionary selected by the selection processing unit.

7. An action recognition system comprising:

a position detection device that obtains positional information of a subject; and

an action recognition apparatus that obtains information from an action detection sensor attached to the subject and recognizing an action type which indicates each state of contents of an action performed by the subject,

the step management device and the action recognition apparatus being communicably connected to each other,

wherein the position detection device comprises;

a position detection unit that obtains positional information from a position sensor attached to the subject and detecting a position of the subject; and

a communication unit that transmits the information to the action recognition apparatus, and

wherein the action recognition apparatus comprises;

an action detection unit that detects an action of the subject, using the information from the action detection sensor;

a storage unit that stores therein

a recognition method/dictionary database in which a recognition method for recognizing information detected by the action detection unit and information indicating a characteristic of each action type referenced corresponding to the recognition method, as a dictionary, are registered, and

a position correspondence database in which a correspondence relation between the positional information of the subject and the action types of which action is performed by the subject is stored;

a communication unit that receives the positional information from the position detection device;

an estimation processing unit that obtains the positional information of the subject via the communication unit, and narrowing down the action types corresponding to the positional information by referencing the position correspondence database;

a selection processing unit that selects the recognition method and the dictionary using the recognition method/dictionary database, based on the action types narrowed down by the estimation processing unit; and

a recognition processing unit that performs a recognition processing of the information detected by the action detection unit, based on the action types narrowed down by the estimation processing unit, using the recognition method and the dictionary selected by the selection processing unit.

8. An action recognition method used in an action recognition apparatus for obtaining information from an action detection sensor attached to a subject and recognizing an action type which indicates each state of contents of an action performed by the subject, the action recognition apparatus comprising a storage unit that stores therein a recognition method/dictionary database in which a recognition method for recognizing information from the action detection sensor and information indicating a characteristic of each action type referenced corresponding to the recognition method, as a dictionary, are registered, the action recognition method comprising the steps of:

detecting an action of the subject, using the information from the action detection sensor;

narrowing down action types of which action is performed by the subject;

selecting the recognition method and the dictionary using the recognition method/dictionary database, based on the narrowed-down action types; and

performing a recognition processing of the detected information based on the narrowed-down action types, using the selected recognition method and the dictionary.