Tracking a range of body movement based on 3D captured image streams of a user

• US 7,840,031 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Goldman, Steven D., Sessa, Anthony J., Arnold, Kenneth C., Paolini, Michael A., Albertson, Jacob C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta; Bhavesh M
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZARKA, DAVID PETER
• Application Number:
  US11/622,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20080170123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0009 Computerised real time comparison with previous movements or motion sequences of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0012 Comparing movements or motion sequences with a registered reference
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0015 Comparing movements or motion sequences with computerised simulations of movements or motion sequences, e.g. for generating an ideal template as reference to be achieved by the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0655 Tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0663 worn on the wrist, e.g. wrist bands
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/05 Image processing for measuring physical parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/805 Optical or opto-electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/50 temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/60 muscle strain, i.e. measured on the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0006 Computerised comparison for qualitative assessment of motion sequences or the course of a movement
• 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: G06T 2207/30221 Sports video; Sports image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51

Abstract

A computer-implemented method, system, and program product includes a movement processing system for capturing a first three-dimensional movement of a user and capturing at least another three-dimensional movement of the user, wherein the three-dimensional movement is determined using at the at least one image capture device aimed at the body of the user. A projected movement system predicts a movement baseline based on the first three-dimensional movement of the user and predicts at least one subsequent movement range based on the at least another three-dimensional movement of the user. Based on a comparison of the movement baseline with the at least one subsequent movement, the projected movement systems predicts a projected movement of a user for tracking changes in a range of body movement of a user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for tracking range of body movement of a user, comprising:

capturing, using a processor, a first three-dimensional movement of a user, wherein the first three-dimensional movement is determined using at least one image capture device aimed at the body of the user;

capturing, using the processor, at least another three-dimensional movement of the user, wherein the at least one another three-dimensional movement is determined using at the at least one image capture device aimed at the body of the user;

predicting, using the processor, a movement baseline based on the first three-dimensional movement of the user;

predicting, using the processor, at least one subsequent movement range based on the at least another three-dimensional movement of the user;

predicting, using the processor, a projected movement of the user by comparing the movement baseline with the at least one subsequent movement range;

outputting, using the processor, the projected movement to at least one of an output device accessible to the user and a system accessible to a monitoring agent;

identifying, for each of the first three-dimensional movement of the user, and the at least another three-dimensional movement of the user, a separate three-dimensional object properties stream for each captured three-dimensional movement; and

identifying a separate defined type of movement and at least one characteristic of the type of movement represented by each separate three-dimensional object properties stream by comparing each separately identified three-dimensional object properties stream with a plurality of movement definitions.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein capturing a first three-dimensional movement of the user and capturing at least another three-dimensional movement of the user further comprises capturing each separate captured three-dimensional movement using a stereoscopic image device to identify and track at least one particular type of three-dimensional movement of at least one body member the user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein capturing a first three-dimensional movement of the user and capturing at least another three-dimensional movement of the user further comprises identifying in each separately captured three-dimensional movement at least one characteristic of body movement of the user comprising a fine granularity movement of at least one of a facial expression, an eye movement, a muscle contraction, and change in skin surface characteristics of the user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein predicting a movement baseline based on the first three-dimensional movement of the user further comprises accessing at least one attribute of the user comprising at least one of an age, a height, a weight, a diet, a body mass, an injury, and an illness to predict the movement baseline for the user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the projected movement indicates a decline in the range of body movement of the user from the movement baseline to the at least one subsequent movement range.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the projected movement specifies a future predicted range of body movement of the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

translating the projected movement into at least one output signal for output to the at least one of an output device accessible to the user and a system accessible to the monitoring agent; and

controlling output of the at least one output signal to the at least one of the output device accessible to the user and the system accessible to the monitoring agent.

8. A system for tracking range of body movement of a user, comprising:

a movement processing system comprising at least one processor connected to a memory and communicatively connected to a network, further comprising;

means for capturing a first three-dimensional movement of a user, wherein the first three-dimensional movement is determined using at least one image capture device aimed at the body of the user;

means for capturing at least another three-dimensional movement of the user, wherein the at least one another three-dimensional movement is determined using at the at least one image capture device aimed at the body of the user; and

means for identifying, for each of the first three-dimensional movement of the user, and the at least another three-dimensional movement of the user, a separate three-dimensional object properties stream for each captured three-dimensional movement;

means for identifying a separate defined type of movement and at least one characteristic of the type of movement represented by each separate three-dimensional object properties stream by comparing each separately identified three-dimensional object properties stream with a plurality of movement definitions; and

a projected movement system comprising another at least one processor connected to another memory and communicatively connected to the movement processing system via the network, further comprising;

means for predicting a movement baseline based on the first three-dimensional movement of the user;

means for predicting at least one subsequent movement range based on the at least another three-dimensional movement of the user;

means for predicting a projected movement of the user by comparing the movement baseline with the at least one subsequent movement range; and

means for controlling output of the projected movement to at least one of an output device accessible to the user and a system accessible to a monitoring agent.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for capturing a first three-dimensional movement of the user and capturing at least another three-dimensional movement of the user further comprises means for capturing each separate captured three-dimensional movement using a stereoscopic image device to identify and track at least one particular type of three-dimensional movement of at least one body member of the user.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for capturing a first three-dimensional movement of the user and capturing at least another three-dimensional movement of the user further comprises means for identifying in each separately captured three-dimensional movement at least one characteristic of body movement of the user comprising a fine granularity movement of at least one of a facial expression, an eye movement, a muscle contraction, and change in skin surface characteristics of the user.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for predicting a movement baseline based on the first three-dimensional movement of the user further comprises the means for accessing at least one attribute of the user comprising at least one of an age, a height, a weight, a diet, a body mass, an injury, and an illness to predict the movement baseline for the user.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the projected movement indicates a decline in the range of body movement of the user from the movement baseline to the at least one subsequent movement range.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the projected movement specifies a future predicted range of body movement of the user.

14. The system of claim 8, the projected movement system further comprising:

means for translating the projected movement into at least one output signal for output to at least one of an output device accessible to the user and a system accessible to the monitoring agent; and

means for controlling output of the at least one output signal to the at least one of the output device accessible to the user and the system accessible to the monitoring agent.

15. A program product comprising a non-transitory storage-type computer-usable medium including a computer-readable program for tracking range of body movement of a user, wherein the computer-readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

capture a first three-dimensional movement of a user, wherein the first three-dimensional movement is determined using at least one image capture device aimed at the body of the user;

capture at least another three-dimensional movement of the user, wherein the at least one another three-dimensional movement is determined using at the at least one image capture device aimed at the body of the user;

predict a movement baseline based on the first three-dimensional movement of the user;

predict at least one subsequent movement range based on the at least another three-dimensional movement of the user;

predict a projected movement of the user by comparing the movement baseline with the at least one subsequent movement range;

identify, for each of the first three-dimensional movement of the user, and the at least another three-dimensional movement of the user, a separate three-dimensional object properties stream for each captured three-dimensional movement; and

identify a separate defined type of movement and at least one characteristic of the type of movement represented by each separate three-dimensional object properties stream by comparing each separately identified three-dimensional object properties stream with a plurality of movement definitions.

16. The program product of claim 15, wherein said computer-readable program is transmitted over a network.

17. The program product of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to capture each separate captured three-dimensional movement using a stereoscopic image device to identify and track at least one particular type of three-dimensional movement of at least one body member of the user.