Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program for recognizing a gesture

• US 9,785,245 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2014
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kimura, Jun, Ohba, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Akhavannik, Hadi
• Application Number:
  US14/546,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20150070277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• 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

Provided is an image processing apparatus including a hand shape recognition unit that performs hand shape recognition on an input image to detect a position and a size of a hand with a specific shape in the input image, a determination region setting unit that sets a region in a vicinity of the hand on the input image as a determination region used to recognize a gesture performed using the hand, based on the position and the size of the hand, and a gesture recognition unit that recognizes the gesture by monitoring movement of the hand to the determination region.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to;

detect a position of a hand with a specific shape in an input image;

set, based on the specific shape, a first region and a second region at a first position and a second position respectively as a first determination region and a second determination region, the detected position, the first position, and the second position being different from each other;

recognize whether a hand-gesture input is applied into the first determination region or the second determination region;

perform a first process in accordance with the first determination region when the hand-gesture input is applied into the first determination region, and

perform a second process in accordance with the second determination region when the hand-gesture input is applied into the second determination region.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to detect a size of the hand.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to set the first determination region and the second determination region based on the size of the hand.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first region and the second region are each set to be located in vicinity of the detected position of the hand.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first region and the second region are each set to be located within a distance from the detected position of the hand that corresponds to half a width of the hand.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first region and the second region are each set to be located a distance from the detected position of the hand, the distance being set based on a size of the hand.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hand-gesture input is recognized to have been applied to the first determination region after a moving of a predetermined distance toward the first determination region, and the hand-gesture input is recognized to have been applied to the second determination region after a moving of a predetermined distance toward the second determination region.

17. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first process and the second process are different from each other.

18. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first determination region and the second determination region are located on opposite sides from the detected position.

4. An image processing apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to;

detect a position of an object with a specific shape in an input image;

set, based on the specific shape, a first region and a second region at a first position and a second position respectively as a first determination region and a second determination region, the detected position, the first position, and the second position being different from each other;

recognize whether a gesturing input is applied into the first determination region or the second determination region;

perform a first process in accordance with the first determination region when the gesturing input is applied into the first determination region, and

perform a second process in accordance with the second determination region when the gesturing input is applied into the second determination region.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry is further configured to detect a size of the object.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the circuitry is further configured to set the first determination region and the second determination region based on the size of the object.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the object is a hand.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the gesturing is recognized to have been applied to the first determination region after a moving of a predetermined distance toward the first determination region, and the gesturing is recognized to have been applied to the second determination region after a moving of a predetermined distance towards the second determination region.

8. An image processing method for an image processing apparatus, the method comprising:

detecting a position of an object with a specific shape in an input image;

setting, based on the specific shape, a first region and a second region at a first position and a second position respectively as a first determination region and a second determination region, the detected position, the first position, and the second position being different from each other;

recognizing whether a gesturing input is applied into the first determination region or the second determination region;

performing a first process in accordance with the first determination region when the gesturing input is applied into the first determination region, and

performing a second process in accordance with the second determination region when the gesturing input is applied into the second determination region.

15. The image processing method according to claim 8, wherein the gesturing is recognized to have been applied to the first determination region after a moving of a predetermined distance toward the first determination region, and the gesturing is recognized to have been applied to the second determination region after a moving of a predetermined distance towards the second determination region.

9. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a computer to execute a process including the steps of:

detecting a position of an object with a specific shape in an input image;

setting, based on the specific shape, a first region and a second region at a first position and a second position respectively as a first determination region and a second determination region, the detected position, the first position, and the second position being different from each other;

recognizing whether a gesturing input is applied into the first determination region or the second determination region;

performing a first process in accordance with the first determination region when the gesturing input is applied into the first determination region, and

performing a second process in accordance with the second determination region when the gesturing input is applied into the second determination region.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the gesturing is recognized to have been applied to the first determination region after a moving of a predetermined distance toward the first determination region, and the gesturing is recognized to have been applied to the second determination region after a moving of a predetermined distance towards the second determination region.