Method of controlling a system

• US 9,465,450 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2006
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Cortenraad, Hubertus Maria Rene, Kneissler, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, PRIYANK J
• Application Number:
  US11/993,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20100079374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,758 Days
• Field of Search: 345/158, 345/156
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/75 involving models
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention describes a method of controlling a system (1) comprising one or more components (C₁, C₂, . . . , C_n), which method comprises the steps of aiming a pointing device (2) comprising a camera (3) in the direction of one or more of the components (C₁, C₂, . . . , C_n), generating image data (4) of a target area A( ) aimed at by the pointing device (2), encompassing at least part of one or more of the components (C₁, C₂, . . . , Cn), and analyzing the image data (4) to determine position information (P) pertaining to the position of the user (5) relative to one or more of the components (C₁, C₂, . . . , C_n) at which the pointing device (2) is being aimed and/or to relative positions of the components. The system (1) is subsequently controlled according to the position information (P). Furthermore, the invention describes a corresponding control system (10), a home entertainment system, and a lighting system. The invention further describes a method of acquiring dimensional data (D) for use in the image data analysis.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a component system depending on the position of a user relative to at least two components from among a plurality of components in the component system at which a pointing device comprising a camera is being aimed, the method comprising:

aiming by the user of a pointing device at a target area containing at least part of the at least two components of a component system comprising a plurality of components;

generating image data representing the target area at which the pointing device is being aimed;

analysing the image data to identify the at least two components appearing partially or completely in the target area at which the pointing device is being aimed;

analysing the image data to determine position information pertaining to a position of the user relative to the at least two identified components and/or relative positions of the components appearing partially or completely in the target area at which the pointing device is being aimed; and

controlling the component system according to the user position information.

2. The method according to claim 1 where analysing the image data to determine the user position information comprises application of known dimensional data (D) pertaining to the at least two identified components.

3. The method according to claim 2 comprising:

aiming the pointing device at the at least two components;

generating image data representing the at least two identified components;

analysing the image data to derive dimensional data (D′

) for the at least two components;

updating the known dimensional data (D) for the at least two identified components according to the dimensional data (D′

) derived from the image analysis.

4. The method according to claim 3 where the dimensional data (D) for the at least two identified components is updated in a supervised training procedure.

5. The method according to claim 3 where the dimensional data (D) for the at least two identified components is updated in an unsupervised training procedure.

6. A control system for controlling a component system depending on the position of a user relative to at least two identified components in the component system, the control system comprising:

a user-aimed pointing device for interacting with the component system, the pointing device comprising a camera for generating image data representing a target area at which the pointing device is aimed, the target area containing at least part of the at least one component (C_n);

an image analysis unit configured to analyse the image data to identify the at least two identified components appearing partially or completely in the target area at which the pointing device is being aimed;

the image analysis unit configured to analyse the image data to determine position information pertaining to a position of the user relative to the at least two identified components and/or the relative positions of the at least two identified components appearing partially or completely in the target area;

a control unit configured to control the component system according to the user position information.

7. The control system according to claim 6 comprising a data acquisition unit configured to acquire dimensional data (D) pertaining to the at least two identified components of the system for use in the image analysis.

8. The control system according to claim 7 comprising a training unit configured to process the acquired dimensional data (D) pertaining to the at least two identified components by:

aiming the pointing device at the at least two identified components;

generating image data representing the at least two identified components;

analysing the image data to derive dimensional data (D′

) for the at least two identified components; and

updating the acquired dimensional data (D) of the at least two identified components according to the dimensional data (D′

) derived from the image analysis.

9. The control system according to claim 6 where analysing the image data to determine the user position information comprises application of known dimensional data (D) pertaining to the at least two components.

10. The control system according to claim 9 wherein:

the pointing device is aimed at the at least two components;

image data is generated to represent the at least two components;

the image data is analysed to derive dimensional data (D′

) for the at least two components;

the known dimensional data (D) is updated for the at least two components according to the dimensional data (D′

) derived from the image analysis.

11. The control system according to claim 10 where the dimensional data (D) for the at least two components is updated in a supervised training procedure.

12. The control system according to claim 10 where the dimensional data (D) for the at least two components is updated in an unsupervised training procedure.

13. A home entertainment system comprising a plurality of components (C₁, C₂, . . . , C_n) and a control system for controlling at least one function of the home entertainment system depending on the position of a user relative to at least two of the components (C₁, C₂, . . . , C_n), the control system comprising:

user-aimed pointing device configured to interact with the home entertainment system, the pointing device comprising a camera for generating image data representing a target area at which the pointing device is aimed, the target area containing at least part of at least two of the components;

an image analysis unit configured to analyse the image data to identify the at least two components appearing partially or completely in the target area at which the pointing device is being aimed;

the image analysis unit configured to analyse the image data to determine position information pertaining to the position of the user relative to the at least two identified components appearing partially or completely in the target area at which the pointing device is being aimed and/or relative positions of at least two identified components appearing partially or completely in the target area; and

a control unit configured to control the at least one function of the home entertainment system according to the user position information.

14. A lighting system comprising a plurality of components (C₁, C₂, . . . , C_n) and a control system for controlling at least one function of the lighting system depending on the position of a user relative to at least two of the components (C₁, C₂, . . . , C_n), the control system comprising:

a user-aimed pointing device configured to interact with the lighting system, the pointing device comprising a camera for generating image data representing a target area at which the pointing device is aimed, the target area containing at least part of the at least two components;

an image analysis unit configured to analyse the image data to identify the at least two components appearing partially or completely in the target area at which the pointing device is being aimed;

the image analysis unit configured to analyse the image data to determine position information pertaining to the position of the user relative to the at least two identified components appearing partially or completely in the target area at which the pointing device is being aimed and/or relative positions of at least two identified components appearing partially or completely in the target area;

a control unit configured to control the lighting system according to the user position information.

15. A non-transitory computer readable memory comprising any computer readable memory that is not a transitory propagating signal or wave, having stored thereon instructions that when executed cause processing circuitry of a component system to:

aim by the user of a pointing device at a target area containing at least part of at least one component (Cn) of a component system comprising a plurality of components;

generate image data representing the target area at which the pointing device is being aimed;

analyse the image data to identify the at least two components appearing partially or completely in the target area at which the pointing device is being aimed;

analyse the image data to determine position information pertaining to a position of the user relative to the at least two identified components appearing partially or completely in the target area at which the pointing device is being aimed and/or relative positions of at least two components appearing partially or completely in the target area; and

control the component system according to the user position information.