System and method for selective gesture interaction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9753546-B2
Application number	US-201414473909-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2014
Priority date	Aug 29, 2014
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A system and method for selective gesture interaction using spatial volumes is disclosed. The method includes processing data frames that each includes one or more body point locations of a collaborating user that is interfacing with an application at each time intervals, defining a spatial volume for each collaborating user based on the processed data frames, detecting a gesture performed by a first collaborating user based on the processed data frames, determining the gesture to be an input gesture performed by the first collaborating user in a first spatial volume, interpreting the input gesture based on a context of the first spatial volume that includes a role of the first collaborating user, a phase of the application, and an intersection volume between the first spatial volume and a second spatial volume for a second collaborating user, and providing an input command to the application based on the interpreted input gesture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
processing a plurality of data frames, each data frame of the plurality of data frames comprising one or more body point locations of each of a plurality of collaborating users that are interfacing with an application at each of a plurality of time intervals;
defining a spatial volume for each of the plurality of collaborating users based on the plurality of processed data frames;
detecting a gesture performed by a first collaborating user of the plurality of collaborating users based on the plurality of processed data frames;
determining the gesture to be an input gesture based on the gesture being performed by the first collaborating user in a first spatial volume;
interpreting, by a machine having a memory and at least one processor, the input gesture based on a context of the first spatial volume, the context of the first spatial volume comprising an intersection volume between the first spatial volume and a second spatial volume for a second collaborating user; and
providing an input command to the application based on the interpreted input gesture, the input command being different for the gesture being within the intersection volume than for the gesture being outside of the intersection volume.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the context of the first spatial volume comprises a role of the first collaborating user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising determining the role of the first collaborating user based on an identification of the first collaborating user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the identification of the first collaborating user is determined based on facial recognition of the first collaborating user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the context of the first spatial volume further comprises a phase of the application.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a body point location of the one or more body point locations is based on a distance between a body point of each of the plurality of collaborating users to a sensing device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more body point locations comprise a reference point and a control point, and defining the spatial volume is further based on a distance between the reference point and the control point satisfying a threshold function.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein satisfying the threshold function comprises the distance exceeding a predetermined threshold distance.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein defining the spatial volume is further based on a measurement of a body part of the corresponding collaborating user.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first spatial volume comprises an absolute space at a fixed location.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first spatial volume comprises a space relative to the first collaborating user.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first spatial volume comprises one of a customized open shape and a customized closed shape.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the input command comprises translating a display object of the application, and the input gesture comprises translating a first body point location.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the input command comprises adjusting a size of a display object of the application, and the input gesture comprises adjusting the relative distance between a first body point location and a second body point location.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the input command comprises rotating a display object of the application, and the input gesture comprises moving a first body point location along a surface of a sphere.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a forward feedback signal based on the input gesture the forward feedback signal being configured to convey where the input gesture is in the spatial volume, the forward feedback signal comprising one or more of a sound and a touch feedback.

17. A system comprising:
a machine having at least one module, the at least one module comprising at least one processor and being configured to:
process a plurality of data frames, each data frame of the plurality of data frames comprising one or more body point locations of each of a plurality of collaborating users that are interfacing with an application at each of a plurality of time intervals;
define a spatial volume for each of the plurality of collaborating users based on the plurality of processed data frames;
detect a gesture performed by a first collaborating user of the plurality of collaborating users based on the plurality of processed data frames;
determine the gesture to be an input gesture based on the gesture performed by the first collaborating user in a first spatial volume;
interpret the input gesture based on a context of the first spatial volume, the context of the first spatial volume comprising an intersection volume between the first spatial volume and a second spatial volume for a second collaborating user; and
provide an input command to the application based on the interpreted input gesture, the input command being different for the gesture being within the intersection volume than for the gesture being outside of the intersection volume.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the context of the first spatial volume further comprises a role of the first collaborating user, and the at least one module is further configured to determine the role of the first collaborating user based on an identification of the first collaborating user.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, tangibly embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
processing a plurality of data frames, each data frame of the plurality of data frames comprising one or more body point locations of each of a plurality of collaborating users that are interfacing with an application at each of a plurality of time intervals;
defining a spatial volume for each of the plurality of collaborating users based on the plurality of processed data frames;
detecting a gesture performed by a first collaborating user of the plurality of collaborating users based on the plurality of processed data frames;
determining the gesture as an input gesture based on the gesture performed by the first collaborating user in a first spatial volume;
determining an input command based on an interpretation of the input gesture, the interpretation of the input gesture being based on a context of the first spatial volume, the context of the first spatial volume comprising an intersection volume between the first spatial volume and a second spatial volume for a second collaborating user; and
transmitting the input command to the application based on the interpreted input gesture, the input command being different for the gesture being within the intersection volume than for the gesture being outside of the intersection volume.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Abi-Rached Habib
• Lin Jeng-Weei
• Murugappan Sundar
• Lund Arnold
• Ramaswamy Veeraraghavan

Classifications

• G06F3/011

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/0304

  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