Obscure cameras as input

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9507429-B1
Application number	US-201314038581-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 26, 2013
Priority date	Sep 26, 2013
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

Various embodiments enable a user to provide an input to an application by covering or otherwise obscuring one or more cameras of a computing device in a predetermined sequence. For example, as content is displayed by a computing device, image information is captured with multiple cameras. Upon detecting a portion of a hand of a user, such as a finger, passing over two or more of the cameras, a sequence in which the hand passes over the cameras is compared to sequences stored by the computing device. In this example, each sequence stored by the computing device corresponds to an input to an application to launch the application, cause a function to be executed using the application, and the like. Accordingly, in response to the sequence matching one of the stored sequences, an input is provided to an application corresponding to the sequence.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
determining a hand causes a first amount of light that reaches a first camera to fall below a first threshold level of light;
determining the hand causes a second amount of light that reaches a second camera to fall below a second threshold level of light;
determining an order in which the hand causes the first amount of light to fall below the first threshold and the second amount of light to fall below the second threshold;
comparing the order to a stored sequence representing one or more movements, the stored sequence corresponding to an input to be provided to an application on the computing device;
determining that the stored sequence matches the order to within an allowable deviation; and
providing the input to the application corresponding to the stored sequence.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the input is at least one of a command to turn a page of an electronic book, unlock the computing device from a lock screen, display content associated with the application, cause the application to be opened, or cause a function to be performed.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the hand causing the first and second amount of lights to fall below the first and second thresholds corresponds to a change in at least one of pixel intensity, blur, color, or focus.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising analyzing a first image and a second image by an image analysis algorithm to detect the hand.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a matching algorithm compares the order to the stored sequence.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first threshold corresponds to the hand being about 6 cm or less from the first camera, and the second threshold corresponds to the hand being about 6 cm or less from the second camera.

7. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
detecting, by a first camera and a second camera of a computing device, movement of an object obscuring the first camera and the second camera;
determining that the movement caused a first amount of light that reaches the first camera to fall below a first threshold level of light;
determining that the movement caused a second amount of light that reaches the second camera to fall below a second threshold level of light;
determining a detected sequence in which the object obscures the first camera and obscures the second camera, the detected sequence representing one or more movements;
comparing the detected sequence to a stored sequence representing one or more movements;
determining, upon comparing the detected sequence to the stored sequence, that the stored sequence matches the detected sequence to within an allowable deviation; and
providing an input to an application corresponding to the stored sequence in response to the detected sequence matching the stored sequence to within the allowable deviation.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , further comprising a set of stored sequences, wherein each of the stored sequences corresponds to a different input to be provided to at least one of the application or one of a plurality of applications on the computing device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , further comprising:
receiving, from a user of the computing device, a request to assign the stored sequence to the application.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein detecting movement of the object further involves detecting a change in at least one of a set of images captured by the first camera or the second camera, the change being one of pixel intensity, blur, color, or focus.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the input is at least one of a command to turn a page of an electronic book, unlock the computing device from a lock screen, display content associated with the application, cause the application to be opened, or cause a function to be performed.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein a matching algorithm compares the detected sequence to the stored sequence.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , further comprising a third camera of the computing device, wherein the detected sequence corresponds to an order in which the object obscures at least two of the first camera, the second camera, and the third camera.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein detecting the movement of the object includes:
capturing image information with each of the first camera and the second camera; and
analyzing the image information using an image analysis algorithm to detect the object.

15. A computing device, comprising:
a processor;
a display screen; and
memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to:
capture image information with a first camera and a second camera of the computing device;
detect, using the image information, movement of a hand obscuring the first camera and the second camera;
determine, using the image information, that the hand causes a first amount of light that reaches the first camera to fall below a first threshold level of light;
determine, using the image information, that the hand causes a second amount of light that reaches the second camera to fall below a second threshold level of light;
determine a detected sequence in which the hand obscures the first camera and the hand obscures the second camera, the detected sequence representing one or more movements; and
provide, in response to the detected sequence, an input to an application corresponding to the detected sequence.

16. The computing device of claim 15 , further comprising a third camera, wherein the detected sequence corresponds to an order in which the hand obscures at least two of the first camera, the second camera, and the third camera.

17. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein detecting movement of the hand further involves detecting a change in the image information, the change being one of pixel intensity, blur, color, or focus.

18. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein the input is at least one of a command to turn a page of an electronic book, unlock the computing device from a lock screen, display content associated with the application, cause the application to be opened, or cause a function to be performed.

19. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further enable the computing device to:
compare the detected sequence to at least a portion of a set of sequences, each of the sequences corresponding to a different input to be provided to at least one of the application or one of a plurality of applications on the computing device.

20. The computing device of claim 19 , wherein each of the sequences is associated with one of a plurality of applications or one of a plurality of functions that, when detected, respectively cause one of the plurality of applications to be opened or one of the plurality of functions to be executed.

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Grauer Jr Arthur John
• Brookes Craig Reeves

Classifications

• G06F3/0304 Primary

  Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means (constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042) · CPC title

• G06F3/017 Primary

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06F3/0425

  using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected (tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386) · CPC title