Image analysis – Applications – Target tracking or detecting
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-23
2002-08-13
Mehta, Bhavesh (Department: 2721)
Image analysis
Applications
Target tracking or detecting
C348S169000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06434255
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand pointing apparatus, and more specifically to a hand pointing apparatus for picking up a person to be recognized from a plurality of different directions and for determining the coordinates of a specific position pointed to by the person to be recognized.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been heretofore known a hand pointing input apparatus which comprise a display for displaying predetermined information, an illumination device for illuminating an information inputting person who comes to the display, and a plurality of image pickup means for picking up the image of the approaching information inputting person from different directions, wherein a plurality of image pickup means image pickup images of situations where the approaching information inputting person points with a finger or the like to an optional position on the display, the information inputting person is recognized in accordance with a plurality of images obtained by the image pickup, the position on the display pointed to by the information inputting person is determined, a cursor or the like is displayed on the position pointed to on the display, and the position on the display pointed to is recognized as being clicked at the time of detecting the fact that the information inputting person has performed a clicking action by raising a thumb, whereby a predetermined processing is performed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 4-271423, 5-19957, and 5-324181 or the like).
According to the above-described hand pointing input apparatus, since the information inputting person can give various instructions to an information processing apparatus and input various information to the information processing apparatus without touching an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse, it is possible to simplify the operation for using the information processing apparatus.
The above-described hand pointing input apparatus can determine which position on the display screen of the display the information inputting person is pointing to. However, if the displayed image on the display is an image spuriously representing a 3-D (three-dimensional) space, this hand pointing input apparatus cannot determine which position within a virtual 3-D space represented by the image (i.e., the 3-D coordinates of a position pointed to by the information inputting person) the information inputting person is pointing to. As to spuriously displaying an image representing a 3-D space, apart from displaying images in conformity with a one-point perspective or two-point perspective on a planar display, various methods have been also provided in which images can be displayed on a 3-D display using a liquid-crystal shutter or a lenticular lens, stereographic images can be displayed by applying holographic technology, and the like (these images are referred to as three-dimensional images hereinafter). However, there has been a drawback in that three-dimensional images such as those described above cannot be used as an object pointed to by the information inputting person.
Further, the above-described drawback is not limited to the case in which the object pointed to by the information inputting person is a virtual 3-D space represented by a three-dimensional image. It is also impossible to determine the position within a 3-D space the information inputting person is pointing to, even when the object pointed to by the information inputting person exists within an actual 3-D space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforementioned, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hand pointing apparatus which can determine 3-D coordinates of a position which is pointed to by an information inputting person even when the person is pointing to an arbitrary position within a 3-D space.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned object, the first aspect of the present invention is a hand pointing apparatus, comprising: image pickup means which picks up the image of a person to be recognized from a plurality of different directions; computing means which extracts an image which corresponds to the person to be recognized on the basis of a plurality of images obtained by the image pickup means which picks up images from a plurality of direction of the person to be recognized pointing to a specific position within 3-D coordinates, and determines the 3-D coordinates of a characteristic point whose position may be changed by the person to be recognized bending or stretching an arm, and a reference point whose position does not change even when the person to be recognized bends or stretches the arm; and determining means for determining the direction in which the specific position exists within the 3-D space on the basis of the direction from the reference point to the characteristic point and for determining the location of the specific position within the 3-D space along the depth direction thereof on the basis of the distance between the reference point and the characteristic point, and thereby determines the 3-D coordinates of the specific position within the 3-D space.
In the first aspect of the present invention, an image of the person to be recognized (the information inputting person) is picked up by the image pickup means, from a plurality of different directions. The image pickup means may be structured so that the image of the person to be recognized is picked up from a plurality of directions using a plurality of image pickup apparatuses which are comprised of video cameras or the like. It can also be structured such that light reflecting means such as a plane mirror or the like is provided at the image pickup means, and an image of the person to be recognized is picked up directly by a single image pickup apparatus, and the image of the person to be recognized is picked up from a plurality of directions by picking up virtual images of the person to be recognized which are projected onto the plane mirror.
Further, the computing means extracts an image portion which corresponds to the person to be recognized on the basis of a plurality of images picked up from a plurality of directions using the image pickup means, wherein the person to be recognized is pointing to a specific position within a 3-D space, and determines the 3-D coordinates of a characteristic point whose position may be changed by the person to be recognized bending or stretching an arm, and a reference point whose position does not change even when the person to be recognized bends or stretches an arm. For example, a point which corresponds to the tip of the hand, finger or the like of the person to be recognized or the tip of a pointing apparatus which is grasped by the person to be recognized can be used as a characteristic point. A point which corresponds to the body of the person to be recognized (e.g., the breast or the shoulder joint of the person to be recognized) can be used as a reference point. The 3-D space may be a virtual 3-D space represented by a three dimensional image such as an image which is formed in conformity with a one-point perspective method or two-point perspective method on a planar display, an image which uses a liquid crystal shutter or a lenticular lens on a 3-D display, or a stereographic image which is displayed by applying holographic technology, or the 3-D space may be an actual 3-D space.
The determining means for determining the direction in which the specific position exists within the 3-D space, on the basis of the direction from the reference point to the characteristic point, determines the position of the specific position within the 3-D space along the depth direction thereof on the basis of the distance between the reference point and the characteristic point, and thereby determines 3-D coordinates of the specific position within the 3-D space.
Accordingly, the person to be recognized carries out the operation for adjusting the direction of the characteristic point (i.e., the operation of pointing the ha
Bednarek Michael D.
Mehta Bhavesh
Shaw Pittman LLP
Tabatabai Abolfazl
Takenaka Corporation
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