TASK ASSISTANCE SYSTEM, TASK ASSISTANCE METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20150139489A1
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation, NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Harada, Hiroo, Nagai, Katsuyuki, Kaneko, Kenichi, Takasugi, Teppei
• Granted Patent: US 9,690,983 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/00 Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113

Abstract

A task assistance system includes: a location detection unit (101) for setting a sensing plane in a first face side of a display means capable of displaying a plurality of articles and calculating location information of a hand located on the sensing plane or location information of an object different from the hand; a region setting unit (102) for setting a plurality of sensing regions on the sensing plane using the location information of the hand or the location information of the object calculated by the location detection unit (101); and a pass-through region determination unit (104) for determining which one of the plurality of sensing regions a hand extended to the display means from the first face side has passed through using the location information of the hand calculated by the location detection unit (101), after the region setting unit (102) sets the plurality of sensing regions.

Claims

1. A task assistance system comprising:

a location detection unit which sets a sensing plane in a first face side of a display unit capable of displaying a plurality of articles, and calculates location information of a hand located on the sensing plane or location information of an object different from the hand;

a region setting unit which sets a plurality of sensing regions on the sensing plane by using the location information of the hand or the location information of the object calculated by the location detection unit; and

a pass-through region determination unit which determines which one of the plurality of sensing regions a hand extended to the display unit from the first face side has passed through by using the location information of the hand calculated by the location detection unit, after the region setting unit sets the plurality of sensing regions.

2. The task assistance system according to claim 1, wherein

the region setting unit identifies a moving path of a hand or the object on the sensing plane by using the location information of the hand or the location information of the object calculated by the location detection unit, and also sets a plurality of sensing regions on the sensing plane by using the identified moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane.

3. The task assistance system according to claim 2, wherein

the region setting unit

identifies a setting start location and a setting end location from the identified moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane, and sets a region surrounded by the moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane from the setting start location to the setting end location as the sensing region.

4. The task assistance system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a start timing reception unit which receives an input of information for identifying the setting start location from a user, wherein

the region setting unit identifies a location at a time when the start timing reception unit receives the input of information for identifying the setting start location in the moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane as the setting start location.

5. The task assistance system according to claim 4, wherein

the start timing reception unit receives the input of information for identifying the setting start location by using a voice.

6. The task assistance system according to claim 3, further comprising:

an end timing reception unit which receives an input of information for identifying the setting end location from a user, wherein

the region setting unit identifies a location at a time when the end timing reception unit receives the input of information for identifying the setting end location in the moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane as the setting end location.

7. The task assistance system according to claim 6, wherein

the end timing reception unit receives the input of information for identifying the setting end location by using a voice.

8. The task assistance system according to claim 3, wherein

the region setting unit sets a circle having the setting start location as a center on the sensing plane upon identifying the setting end location and identifies, as the setting end location, a location at a time when the moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane immediately after passing through the setting start location returns inside the circle after moving outside the circle.

9. The task assistance system according to claim 3, wherein

the region setting unit sets, as the sensing region, a region surrounded by a line connecting the setting start location and the setting end location by using a straight line or a curved line when locations of the setting start location and the setting end location on the sensing plane differ from each other and the moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane from the setting start location to the setting end location.

10. The task assistance system according to claim 3, wherein

the region setting unit

identifies an intersection of the moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane as the setting start location and the setting end location.

11. The task assistance system according to claim 2, wherein

the region setting unit calculates a conversion moving path where the moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane is partially converted into either a movement to a height direction of the display unit or a movement to a width direction thereof, and sets a plurality of sensing regions on the sensing plane by using the conversion moving path instead of the moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane.

12. The task assistance system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a switching timing reception unit which receives, from a user, an input of information for identifying a timing of switching from a movement to a height direction of the display unit to a movement to a width direction thereof and a timing of switching from the movement to the width direction thereof to the movement to the height direction thereof, wherein

the region setting unit performs switching from the movement to the height direction to the movement to the width direction or from the movement to the width direction to the movement to the height direction at a location at a time when the switching timing reception unit receives the input of information for identifying the timing of switching in the moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane upon calculating the conversion moving path from the moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane.

13. The task assistance system according to claim 12, wherein

the switching timing reception unit receives the input of information identifying the timing of switching by using a voice.

14. The task assistance system according to claim 11, wherein

the region setting unit sets a plurality of grid lines extending in the height direction and the width direction of the display unit on the sensing plane upon calculating the conversion moving path from the moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane, and calculates the conversion moving path by converting the moving path of the hand or the object on the sensing plane into a line along the grid lines.

15. The task assistance system according to claim 1, wherein

the region setting unit identifies a pass-through location on the sensing plane of the hand or the object passing through the sensing plane within a predetermined period of time, and sets a region including the identified pass-through location as the sensing region.

16. The task assistance system according to claim 1, wherein

the region setting unit identifies a pass-through location on the sensing plane of the hand or the object passing through the sensing plane within a predetermined period of time and a moving path of the hand or the object moving in the sensing plane, and sets a region including the identified pass-through location and the identified moving path as the sensing region.

17. The task assistance system according to claim 1, wherein

the region setting unit corrects the sensing regions so as not to overlap with each other when a sensing region overlapping with another sensing region exists among a plurality of the set sensing regions.

18. A task assistance method executed by a computer, the task assistance method including:

setting a sensing plane in a first face side of a display unit capable of displaying a plurality of articles and calculating location information of a hand located on the sensing plane or location information of an object different from the hand;

setting a plurality of sensing regions on the sensing plane by using the location information of the hand or the location information of the object calculated in setting of the sensing plane; and

determining which one of the plurality of sensing regions a hand extended to the display unit from the first face side has passed through by using the location information of the hand calculated in setting of the sensing plane, after setting the plurality of sensing regions.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to function as:

a location detection unit which sets a sensing plane in a first face side of a display unit capable of displaying a plurality of articles, and calculates location information of a hand located on the sensing plane or location information of an object different from the hand;

a region setting unit which sets a plurality of sensing regions on the sensing plane by using the location information of the hand or the location information of the object calculated by the location detection unit; and

a pass-through region determination unit which determines which one of the plurality of sensing regions a hand extended to the display unit from the first face side has passed through by using the location information of the hand calculated by the location detection unit, after the region setting unit sets the plurality of sensing regions.

20. A task assistance system comprising:

location detection means for setting a sensing plane in a first face side of a display means capable of displaying a plurality of articles, and for calculating location information of a hand located on the sensing plane or location information of an object different from the hand;

region setting means for setting a plurality of sensing regions on the sensing plane by using the location information of the hand or the location information of the object calculated by the location detection means; and

pass-through region determination means for determining which one of the plurality of sensing regions a hand extended to the display means from the first face side has passed through by using the location information of the hand calculated by the location detection means, after the region setting means sets the plurality of sensing regions.