 |
Claims  |
|
|
What is claimed is:
1. A data input apparatus comprising:
distance image input means for inputting a distance image representing a distribution of distances measured between the apparatus and a plurality of conceivable points existing on an object;
point determining means for determining a designating point in the distance image input by said distance image input means, wherein said designating point is one of the plurality of conceivable points on the object which has least distance value; and
system control means for controlling a system in accordance with motion of the designating point determined by said point determining means.
2. A data input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said distance image input means comprises:
light-emitting means comprising an array of light-emitting elements;
light emission control means for controlling said array of light-emitting elements such that light beams are emitted, one after another, from the light-emitting elements to an object;
light-detecting means for detecting a position which each light beam reflected from the object assumes;
distance calculating means for calculating a distance between the apparatus and the object from the position of the light beam detected by said light-detecting means and a position of the light-emitting element which has emitted the light beam;
and
minimum point detecting means for detecting a plurality of minimum points in the distance image input by said distance image input means, wherein said plurality minimum points is a group of the plurality of conceivable points on the object which
has smaller distance values than other ones of the plurality of conceivable points.
3. A data input apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said distance calculating means includes means for preventing the outputs of said light detecting means from being used, when a difference between the outputs of said light detecting means
falls outside a predetermined range.
4. A data input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said system control means comprises:
cursor controlling means for displaying and controlling a cursor at a position on a display screen, which corresponds to the designating point determined by said point determining means;
conversion means for converting a locus of the cursor moving on the display screen into a command for controlling the system; and
command executing means for executing the command generated by said conversion means.
5. A data input apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising filter means for filtering coordinate values or distance value, or both, of the designating point determined by said point determining means.
6. A data input apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
point-halting time detecting means for detecting a time for which the designating point determined by said point determining means remains within a predetermined region;
point-menu correspondence detecting means for associating a position of the designating point with any one of menu items displayed on a display screen; and
command executing means for executing the menu item detected by said point-menu correspondence detecting means, when an output of said point-halting time detecting means satisfies specific conditions.
7. A data input apparatus comprising:
distance image generating means for generating a distance image, representing a distribution of distances measured between the apparatus and a plurality of conceivable points existing on an object, from an output which a light-receiving means
generates while a light-emitting means is emitting a light beam and from an output which said light-receiving means generates while said light-emitting means is emitting no light beam;
minimum point detecting means for detecting a plurality of minimum points in the distance image generated by said distance image generating means, wherein said plurality of minimum points is a group of the plurality of conceivable points on the
object which has smaller distance values than other ones of the plurality of conceivable points;
point determining means for determining at least one designating point for designating a command to a system in accordance with a specific rule, wherein said at least one designating point is at least one of the plurality of minimum points
detected by said minimum point detecting means; and
system control means for controlling the system in accordance with motion of said at least one designating point determined by said point determining means.
8. The data input apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:
time difference detecting means for detecting time differences, each representing a change which each point in the distance image assumes as time passes,
wherein said point determining means includes means for determining a designating point for designating a command to the system, said designating point being one of the plurality of minimum points which has changed in the time differences
detected by said time difference detecting means.
9. The data input apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said system control means comprises:
cursor controlling means for displaying and controlling a cursor at a position on a display screen, which corresponds to the designating point determined by said point determining means;
conversion means for converting a locus of the cursor moving on the display screen into a command for controlling the systems; and
command executing means for executing the command generated by said conversion means.
10. The data input apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:
time difference detecting means for detecting time differences, each representing a change which each point in the distance image assumes as time passes,
wherein said point determining means includes means for determining a designating point for designating a command to the system, said designating point being one of the plurality of minimum points which has least time difference falling within a
predetermined range.
11. A data input apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said system control means comprises:
cursor controlling means for displaying and controlling a cursor at a position on a display screen, which corresponds to the designating point determined by said point determining means;
conversion means for converting a locus of the cursor moving on the display screen into a command for controlling the system; and
command executing means for executing the command generated by said conversion means.
12. A data input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said distance image generating means comprises:
light-emitting means comprising an array of light-emitting elements;
light emission control means for controlling said light-emitting elements such that light beams are emitted, one after another, from the light-emitting elements to the object;
light-detecting means for detecting a position which each light beam reflected from the object assumes; and
distance calculating means for calculating a distance between the apparatus and the object from the position of the light beam detected by said light-detecting means and a position of the light-emitting element which has emitted the light beam.
13. The data input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said minimum point detecting means comprises:
means for detecting motion of each one of said plurality of minimum points; and
means for selecting at least one of the minimum points in accordance with an output of said means for detectings aid motion of said each one of said plurality of minimum points.
14. The data input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said minimum point detecting means comprises:
means for analyzing entities existing near each one of said plurality of minimum points; and
means for selecting at least one of the plurality of minimum points in accordance with an output of said means for analyzing entities existing near each one of said plurality of minimum points.
15. A data input apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising filter means for filtering at least one of coordinate values and a distance value of the designating point designated by said point designating means.
16. A data input apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:
point-halting time detecting means for detecting a time for which the designating point determined by said point determining means remains within a predetermined region;
point-menu correspondence detecting means for associating a position of the designating point with any one of menu items displayed on a display screen; and
command executing means for executing the menu item detected by said point-menu correspondence detecting means, when an output of said point-halting time detecting means satisfies specific conditions.
17. A data input apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:
first point-motion detecting means for detecting one of the plurality of minimum points which corresponds to a finger tip; and
second point-motion detecting means for detecting movement of the finger tip to select a menu item.
18. A data input apparatus, comprising:
light emitting means for emitting a light;
means for obtaining as an image a magnitude of a reflected light obtained by the light emitted by the light emitting means being reflected by an object;
extraction means for extracting geometrical data of the object by processing the obtained image; and
system control means for controlling an operation of a system to be operated by using the geometrical data.
19. The data input apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said means for obtaining comprises a photodetector array.
20. The data input apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising:
light-receiving means for receiving a modulated light beam reflected by an object;
extracting means for extracting a modulated component of the light beam received by said light-receiving means; and
measuring means for measuring a magnitude of the modulated component extracted by said extracting means.
21. The data input apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising:
light-receiving means for receiving a light beam reflected by an object;
extracting means for extracting a component of the light beam received by said light-receiving means;
measuring means for measuring a magnitude of the component, which has been extracted by said extracting means;
image generating means for generating an image of the object from the magnitude of the component, which has been measured by said measuring means;
correcting means for correcting a plurality of values of a plurality of pixels to cause a sum of the plurality of values to meet a predetermined condition, wherein said plurality of pixels defines a part of the image generated by said image
generating means, which is a tip of a rod-shaped object; and
gravity center detecting means for detecting a center of gravity of the tip of the rod-shaped object, from the values of the plurality of pixels, which have been corrected by said correcting means.
22. An image processing method comprising the steps of:
correcting a plurality of values of a plurality of pixels to cause a sum of the plurality of values to meet a predetermined condition, wherein said plurality of pixels defines a part of an image of a rod-shaped object;
detecting a center of gravity of a tip of the rod-shaped object, from the corrected values of the plurality pixels; and
calculating a position of the tip of the rod-shaped object, from the center of gravity detected.
23. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing information to be input, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture
comprising:
computer readable program code means for correcting a plurality of values of a plurality of pixels to cause a sum of the plurality of values to meet a predetermined condition, wherein said plurality of pixels defines a part of an image of a
rod-shaped object;
computer readable program code means for detecting a center of gravity of the tip of the rod-shaped object, from the corrected plurality values of the pixels; and
computer readable program code means for calculating a position of the tip of the rod-shaped object, from the center of gravity detected.
24. A data input method, comprising the computer steps of:
a) inputting a distance image;
b) obtaining a minimum point having a shortest distance value among the input distance images;
c) controlling a system to be operated by using the obtained minimum point.
25. A data input method, comprising the computer steps of:
a) inputting a distance image representing a distribution of distances measured between an apparatus and a plurality of conceivable points existing on an object;
b) determining a designating point in the input distance image, wherein said designating point is one of the plurality of conceivable points on the object which has least distance value; and
c) controlling a system in accordance with motion of the determined designating point.
26. A data input method, comprising the computer steps of:
a) inputting a distance image representing a distribution of distances measured between an apparatus and a plurality of conceivable point existing on an object;
b) detecting a plurality of minimum points in the input distance image, wherein said plurality of minimum points is a group of the plurality of conceivable points on the object which has smaller distance values than the other ones of the
plurality of conceivable points;
c) detecting time differences, each one of the time differences representing a change which each point in the distance image assumes as time passes;
d) determining a designating point for designating a command to a system, wherein said designating point is one of the plurality minimum points which has changed in the detected time differences; and
e) controlling the system in accordance with motion of the determined designating point.
27. A data input method, comprising the computer steps of:
a) inputting a distance image representing a distribution of distances measured between an apparatus and a plurality of conceivable points existing on an object;
b) detecting a plurality of minimum points in the input distance image, wherein said plurality of minimum points is a group of the plurality conceivable points on the object which has smaller distance values than other ones of the plurality of
conceivable points;
c) detecting time differences, each one of the time differences representing a change which each point in the distance image assumes as time passes;
d) determining a designating point for designating a command to a system, wherein said designating point is one of the plurality of minimum points which has least time difference falling within a predetermined range; and
e) controlling the system in accordance with motion of the determined designating point.
28. A data input method, comprising the computer steps of:
a) generating a distance image, representing a distribution of distances measured between the apparatus and a plurality of conceivable points existing on an object, from an output which a light-receiving means generates while a light-emitting
means is emitting a light beam and from an output which said light-receiving means generates while said light-emitting means is emitting no light beam;
b) detecting a plurality of minimum points in the generated distance image, wherein said plurality of minimum points is a group of a plurality of conceivable points on an object which has smaller distance values than other ones of the plurality
of conceivable points;
c) determining at least one designating point for designating a command to a system in accordance with a specific rule, wherein said at least one designating point is at least one of the detected plurality of minimum points; and
d) controlling the system in accordance with motion of said at least one designating point determined.
29. A computer data input method, comprising the steps of:
a) emitting a light;
b) obtaining as an image a magnitude of a reflected light obtained by the light emitted by a light emitting means being reflected by an object;
c) extracting geometrical data of the object by processing the obtained image; and
d) controlling an operation of a system to be operated by using the geometrical data.
30. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing information to be input, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture,
comprising:
computer readable program code means for inputting a distance image which is a distribution between an object and a distance;
computer readable program code means for obtaining a minimum point whose distance is minimum among input distance images; and
computer readable program code means for controlling a system by using the obtained minimum point.
31. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing information to be input, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture
comprising:
computer readable program code means for inputting a distance image which is a distribution between an object and a distance;
computer readable program code means for determining, among input distance images, a point having minimum distance value as an instructing point for instructing a system to be operated; and
computer readable program code means for controlling an operation of the system to be operated based on movement of the determined instructing point.
32. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing information to be input, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture,
comprising:
computer readable program code means for inputting a distance image which is a distribution between an object and a distance;
computer readable program code means for obtaining a minimum point whose distance value is locally minimum among input distance images;
computer readable program code means for detecting time difference which is a variable amount of the distance value corresponding to a time of the input distance image;
computer readable program code means for determining among a plurality of detected minimum points, one minimum point in which the detected time difference is varied as an instructing point for instructing a system to be operated; and
computer readable program code means for controlling an operation of the system to be operated based on the operation of the determined instructing point.
33. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing information to be input, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture
comprising:
computer readable program code means for inputting a distance image which is a distribution between an object and a distance;
computer readable program code means for obtaining a minimum point whose distance value is locally minimum among input distance images;
computer readable program code means for detecting time difference which is a variable amount of the distance value corresponding to a time of the input distance image;
computer readable program code means for determining, among plurality of detected minimum points, one minimum point in which the time difference of the distance has a certain range of values and which has a minimum value, as an instructing point
for instructing a system to be operated; and
computer readable program code means for controlling an operation of the system to be operated based on the operation of the determined instructing point. |
|
 |
|
 |
Claims |
|
|
|
Description |
|
|
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device designed to input data for controlling or remote-controlling, for example, an electronic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most of the data input devices (hereinafter called "control devices") hitherto developed to input control data are hand-held ones. A user operates a control device of this type, while holding it in hand. Control devices most commonly used in
households are remote controllers. A remote controller has several buttons on it. The user holds it in a hand, aims it at an electronic apparatus and pushes one of the buttons. When the button is pushed, the remote controller emits an infrared beam to
the apparatus, thus giving instructions to the apparatus.
Among the control devices hitherto developed, other than the hand-held ones, is a so-called touch panel. The touch panel comprises a transparent or opaque panel. When a user pushes any part of the panel with a finger or an elongated object, the
touch panel inputs a data item representing the pushing of that part or the position of that part. A transparent panel may be mounted on a display screen displaying images of buttons. In this case, the user may push that part of the transparent panel
located above one of the buttons displayed, thereby to input the data item indicating that the button has been selected.
In the field of image recognition, research has been done for a method of recognizing hand signaling and gestures. No practically usable methods have been developed, however. This is because various requirements are imposed, which are hard to
fulfill in practice. More specifically, it is required that the background on which to display hands or a person be monotonous so that image data may be processed more easily. It is also required that the hands or the person be displayed in a
relatively large size at the central part of a display screen.
Also, research has been conducted to facilitate image recognition. More precisely, an attempt has been made to develop a method in which stereoscopic analysis is performed on an object, based on trigonometrical survey, in order to recognize the
three-dimensional shape of the object. Nonetheless, only a few cases are known in which image recognition techniques are applied to remote controllers.
A user cannot operate a remote controller unless he or she holds it in a hand. It is undesirable that the remote controller is held in a hand which has gotten dirty.
To operate a touch panel, the user need not hold anything at all. However, the panel may get dirty as the user repeatedly touches the panel with fingers. It may become so dirty that the images display on the display screen can no longer be seen
through the panel. If the panel is dirty after a long use by a user, other users are discouraged to touch the panel in order to input data.
In the technique of recognizing hand signaling, achieved by processing the image data, the results are hardly reliable, greatly influenced by noise. The technique should therefore be improved to eliminate the influence of noise.
There is a great demand for control devices which can be operated by bare hands, without being held in hand or attached to a display screen. However, no control devices of this type have been provided.
Pointing devices, such as mouses, have hitherto been commonly used to control personal computers and the like. A pointing device is a data input device which is operated to input position data to a computer. Various types of pointing devices
are available. The most popular of the pointing device is the mouse. The mouse comprises a housing and a ball contained in the housing. The ball can rotate in any direction with respect to the housing.
In use, the mouse is electrically connected to the computer and placed on a desk. Once the mouse is put on the desk, the ball contacts the desk top at one point. As the mouse is moved back, forth, leftward or rightward on the desk, the ball
rotates with respect to the mouse housing. The angles through which the ball rotate in two directions are detected, either mechanically or optically. The data representing the angles detected is supplied to the computer In the computer, this data is
processed into a direction and a distance, for which the cursor is moved on the display screen.
Pointing devices other than the mouse have been put to use for inputting data to computers. Among them are a touch pad, a track ball, a small joystick, a touch panel and a pen device.
The mouse is easy to operate to input data to the computer. However, the mouse can hardly be used unless there is a flat wide surface such as the top of a desk. To operate his computer outdoors, by using the mouse, the user needs to find
something having a flat wide surface. In a train or a car, it would be impossible for him to use the mouse to input data to the computer placed on his laps. Even if a desk is provided, the mouse cannot be used if the desktop is covered with books,
folders or documents. To use the mouse, the desktop has to be cleared.
Portable computers, each having a pointing device other than the mouse, are now used in increasing numbers. The pointing device on the portable computer is a track ball, a touch pad, a small joystick or the like. The track ball is rotated with
a finger. The direction and distance the track ball is rotated are detected, and the data representing them is input to the computer. The touch pad, available in various types, can detect the position of any part touched. When stroked with the user's
finger, the touch pad generates data representing the direction and distance it is thus stroked.
A small joystick is shaped like a lever. It is provided on a keyboard. In most cases, it protrudes upwards, from among "G", "H" and "B" keys. When the joystick is rotated, the direction and angle by which it is rotated are detected. The
direction and the angles are converted into two data items which represent the direction and distance for which the cursor is to move on the display screen. The data items are input to the computer.
Pointing accomplished by using a mouse, a track ball, a touch pad, or a small joystick proceeds in the following sequence of steps:
1. Detect the position the cursor assumes now.
2. Determine a target position to which the cursor is to be moved.
3. Determine the direction and distance for which the cursor is to be moved.
4. Input data items representing the direction and the distance, thus determined.
Steps 1 and 2 are interchangeable. Steps 3 and 4 may be repeated so that the cursor may keep moving in various directions in different directions.
The movement of the operator's hand for using the mouse differs from the movement of his hand for using other pointing devices. When the pointing is made by using the mouse, the position of the mouse approximately corresponds to the position of
the cursor. Of course, when the mouse is lifted up and then moved, the relation between the mouse position and the cursor position is changed. Further, if the mouse driver having a function of accelerating the cursor is used, the mouse position does
not completely correspond to the cursor position. However, from a view point of short distance operation, it can be said that the mouse position approximately corresponds to the cursor position. In other words, when moving the cursor, the operator may
move his hand holding the mouse similar to the movement of the cursor.
By contrast, when a track ball, a touch pad or a small joystick is used to move the cursor on the display screen, the motion of the cursor is different from the motion of the user's hand.
In the case of a track ball, the direction and angle by which the ball is rotated correspond to the direction and distance for which the cursor moves, as long as the ball is rotated at a single touch to move the cursor for a relatively short
distance. To move the cursor for a longer distance, the user rotates the ball more than two times, repeatedly moving the hand back and forth. Obviously, the motion of the cursor is no longer the same as the motion of the hand.
In the case of a touch pad, the motion of the user's finger stroking the pad is similar to the motion of the cursor on the display screen, provided that the cursor is moved by a single stroke on the pad to move the cursor for a relatively short
distance. To move the cursor for a longer distance, the user strokes the pad two or more times, moving his hand back and forth. Hence, the motion of the cursor does not correspond to the motion of the hand.
In the case of a small joystick, the direction in which the stick is rotated and the time for which the stick is held in the rotated position correspond to the direction and distance for which the cursor moves. While the user's hand is holding
the stick at a rotated position, the cursor keeps moving. The user must rotate the stick minutely to adjust the position of the cursor as long as the stick is rotated at a single touch to move the cursor for a relatively short distance. To move the
cursor for a longer distance, the user must rotate the stick two times or more, by repeatedly moving the hand back and force. Thus, the motion of the cursor does not correspond to the motion of the hand. Therefore, the motion of the cursor does not
correspond to the motion of the user's hand.
The difference between the mouse and any other pointing device with respect to the relationship between the motion of the cursor and that of the user's hand is conspicuous, particularly for Steps 3 and 4 of the pointing described above. In Steps
3 and 4, the cursor is first moved a long distance and then moved repeatedly, each time for a much shorter distance. The user can move the cursor a long distance at a fairly high speed by using a mouse if he has grasped the preset speed ratio between
the cursor and the mouse.
To move the cursor a long distance by using a track ball or a touch pad, however, the user must rotate the ball or stroke the pad, several times. To move the cursor a long distance by using a small joystick or a touch pad, he must rotate the
stick, keep watching the cursor moving on the screen and rotate the stick back as the cursor gets near the target.
To move the cursor a very short distance in a desired direction by using a mouse, the user only need to move the mouse in the same direction. When the user uses a touch pad to move the cursor in the same way, the user may stroke the pad in the
same direction, but it is difficult for him to move his finger smoothly on the pad due to the friction between the pad and the finger tip. If the user touches the pad rather lightly in order to move the cursor minutely, his finger will likely leave the
pad, inevitably making a clicking error. To move the cursor a very short distance in a desired direction, the user may operate a small joystick. In this cases the user must repeat slightly rotating the stick and rotating it back, each time to move the
cursor a little. It takes a long time to move the cursor, bit by bit.
Generally, the mouse excels in operability but is disadvantageous in terms of portability, whereas the touch pad, track ball and small joystick are quite portable but inferior in operability.
The user a touch panel in place of a mouse, to perform pointing. If a transparent touch panel is mounted on the display screen, the user can designate any desired point on the screen, merely by touching that part of the panel which is aligned
with the desired point of the screen.
Pointing accomplished by using a touch panel proceeds in only the following two steps, far less than in the pointing achieved by means of a mouse, a track ball, a touch pad, or a small joystick
1. Determine a target position on the screen, to which the cursor is to be moved.
2. Touch that part of the panel which is aligned with the target position on the screen.
However, some problems arise when a touch panel is used to accomplish pointing. First, the user's finger touching the panel conceals that part of the displayed data which is located at the target position. Second, it is impossible to point
anything displayed that is smaller than the finger tip. Third, the display screen gets dirty as it is repeatedly touched with fingers. Further, to drag a menu item on the display screen, the user needs to stroke the touch panel with his finger. The
user is discouraged from stroking the touch panel, however, in fear of soiling the panel or feeling frictional touch on the panel.
The user may touch the panel, selecting any desired menu item and then touch the panel again at a different part thereof, in order to display the selected icon at that position on the screen which is aligned with the part of the panel he has
touched again. If this is the case, the menu item does not appear as if being dragged to that position on the screen. This may be why touch panels are attached to the display screens of portable computers, though they are used as the operation panels
of ATMs (installed at banks) which display large buttons and keys or are provided on word processors of a particular type.
Some touch panels are designed to be touched with a pen. They are more popular than any other pointing device, as a device for inputting data into personal electronic apparatuses. They have been commercialized as an input interface of pen
computers and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). When touched with a pen, the touch panel can select smaller menu items and gets less dirty than when touched with fingers, and can easily drag the selected menu item to any desired position on the
display screen. In addition, the user can input data representing hand-written characters by writing the characters with the pen on the touch panel.
To use the pen in combination with the touch panel, the user has to hold the pen in a hand. This does not matter if the panel is attached to a PDA. When the touch panel is used along with a keyboards as in the case of inputting data into a
portable computers it would be cumbersome for the user to lift one hand off the keyboard and then hold the pen instead in this hand, in order to point any desired item displayed on the screen. Even in the case of a touch panel on a PDA, the user may
feel it troublesome to take the pen to point a desired item displayed on the screens though he may not feel it so troublesome when he moves the pen to input characters into the portable computer. Being a small item, the pen is likely to be lost. The
pen may be tied to the touch panel by a string. If the pen is tied to the panel, however, it becomes difficult for the user to use the pen.
The user may designate any desired item displayed on the screen, without using a pointing device of any type. For example, a data input device may be used which processes the image data representing the user's hand, thereby detecting the shape
and position of the user's hand. Such a data input device, if any, enables the user to designate a desired one of items displayed on the screen, only by pointing the desired item with a finger. As a result, the motion of the cursor is as faithful to
the motion of the finger, as to the motion of a mouse. Needless to say, it is far easier to move a finger than to operate a touch pad, a track ball or a small joystick, in order to point any desired item on the display screen. In addition, no flat wide
surface is required as in the case wherein a mouse is used to point any item displayed on the screen. The user need not touch the display screen, and the display screen can remain clean. Nor does the user have to hold a pen device in the hand.
Any desired item displayed on the screen may be designated by another method, without using a pointing device of any type. In this method, a color marker is used to mark a part of the user's hand, and the color-marked part of the hand is
detected from an image of the hand. The method is widely employed by various apparatuses for determining and analyzing the motions of objects. It can be applied to pointing devices for use in combination with portable computers. However, it cannot be
practiced without using expensive image-processing hardware. Nor can it work well if any garment the user wears happens to be of the same color as the marker Further, the user may not be willing to have his hand marked by the color marker. In view of
these disadvantages, the method hardly seems practical.
Pointing systems have been made on a research basis, each recognizing the user's bare hand and the position of the tip of any finger, from an image of the user's hand. These pointing systems do not work well in most cases, because it is usually
very difficult to distinguish the image of the hand from the images of other moving objects.
As has been mentioned, every pointing technique developed hitherto is advantageous in one respect and disadvantageous in another. It can hardly be said that a pointing device is available which functions well in combination with portable
computers, even when the computers are used outdoors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a data input apparatus which does not need to be held in a hand and which can remote-control an electronic apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a data input apparatus and an image-processing method which enable people to use portable computers at any place with high efficiency.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, there is provided a data input apparatus comprising distance image input means for inputting distance image representing a distribution of distances, each measured between the apparatus and each
conceivable point existing on an object; point determining means for determining a designating point in the distance image input by said distance image input means, said designating point being one of the conceivable points on the object which has least
distance value; and system control means for controlling a system in accordance with motion of the designating point determined by said point determining means.
According to a second embodiment of this invention, there is provided a data input apparatus comprising distance image input means for inputting distance image representing a distribution of distances, each measured between the apparatus and each
conceivable point existing on an object; minimum point detecting means for detecting minimum points in the distance image input by said distance image input means, said minimum points being some of the conceivable points on the object which have smaller
distance values than the other conceivable points; time difference detecting means for detecting time differences, each representing a change which each point in the distance image assumes as time passes; point determining means for determining a
designating point for designating a command to the system said designating point being one of the minimum points which has changed in the time difference detected by said time difference detecting means; and system control means for controlling a system
in accordance with motion of the designating point determined by said point determining means.
According to a third embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a data input apparatus comprising distance image input means for inputting distance image representing a distribution of distances, each measured between the apparatus
and each conceivable point existing on an object; minimum point detecting means for detecting minimum points in the distance image input by said distance image input means, said minimum points being some of the conceivable points on the object which have
smaller distance values than the other conceivable points; time difference detecting means for detecting time differences, each representing a change which each point in the distance image assumes as time passes; point determining means for determining a
designating point for designating a command to the system, said designating point being one of the minimum points which has least time difference falling within a predetermined range; and system control means for controlling a system in accordance with
motion of the designating point determined by said point determining means.
In the data input apparatus according to the third embodiments the distance image input means comprises light-emitting means comprising an array of light-emitting elements; light emission control means for controlling said light-emitting elements
so that light beams are emitted, one after another, from the light-emitting elements to an object; light-detecting means of detecting a position which each light beam reflected from the object assumes; distance calculating means for calculating a
distance between the apparatus and the object from the position of the light beam detected by said light-detecting means and a position of the light-emitting element which has emitted the light beam; and minimum point detecting means for detecting
minimum points in the distance image input by said distance image input means, said minimum points being some of the conceivable points on the object which have smaller distance values than the other conceivable points.
In the data input apparatus according to the third embodiment, the system control means comprises: cursor controlling means for displaying and controlling a cursor at a position on a display screen, which corresponds to the designating point
determined by said point determining means; conversion means for converting a locus of the cursor moving on the display screen into a command for controlling the system; and command executing means for executing the command generated by said conversion
means.
According to a fourth embodiment of the invention, there is provided a data input apparatus comprising: light-emitting means for emitting a light beam to an object; light-receiving means for receiving the light beam reflected by the object;
distance image generating means for generating a distance image from an output which said light-receiving means generates while said light-emitting means is emitting the light beam and also from an output which said light-receiving means generates while
said light-emitting means is emitting no light beam; minimum point detecting means for detecting minimum points in the distance image generated by said distance image generating means, said minimum point being some of the conceivable points on the object
which have smaller distance values than the other conceivable points; point determining means for determining at least one designating point for designating a command to the system in accordance with a specific rule, said at least one designating point
being at least one of the minimum points detected by said minimum point detecting means; and system control means for controlling a system in accordance with motion of said at least one designating point determined by said point determining means.
In the data input apparatus according to the fourth embodiment, the distance image generating means includes means for preventing the outputs of said light-receiving and -emitting means from being used, when a difference between the outputs of
said light-receiving and -emitting means falls outside a predetermined range.
In the data input apparatus according to the fourth embodiment, the minimum point detecting means comprises at least one of two means, and means for selecting at least one of the minimum points in accordance with an output of said at least one of
said two means, said two means being means for detecting motion of each of said minimum points and means analyzing entities existing near each of said minimum points.
The data input apparatus according to the fourth embodiment may further comprise filter means for filtering coordinate values or distance values, or both, of the designating point designated by said point designating means.
The data input apparatus according to the fourth embodiment may further comprise: point-halting time detecting means for detecting a time for which the designating point determined by said point determining means remains within a predetermined
region; point-menu correspondence detecting means for associating a position of the designating point with any one of menu items displayed on the display screen; and command executing means for executing the menu item detected by said point-menu
correspondence detecting means, when an output of said point-halting time detecting means satisfies specific conditions.
The data input apparatus according to the fourth embodiment may further comprise: first point-motion detecting means for detecting one of the minimum points which corresponds to a finger tip; and
second point-motion detecting means for detecting that the finger tip is moved to select a menu item.
In summary, the present invention provides a data input apparatus which comprise: distance image input m | | |
