Patent Application
20120119987
Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(a), this application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0112528, filed on Nov. 12, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multimedia device and a method for operating the same, and more particularly to a multimedia device for increasing user convenience and a method for operating the same.
Particularly, the present invention relates to a multimedia device capable of easily performing gesture recognition using a variety of objects as a gesture input unit to carry out a function of the multimedia device, and a method for operating the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A multimedia device includes a function for receiving and processing a viewable image for a user. The user can view a broadcast using the multimedia device. For example, the multimedia device displays a broadcast, which is selected by the user from broadcast signals transmitted from a broadcast station, on a display. Currently, analog broadcasting is being phased out in favor of digital broadcasting.
A digital broadcast refers to a broadcast for transmitting digital video and audio signals. The digital broadcast has low data loss due to robustness against external noise, advantageous error correction, and high-resolution transmission capabilities, as compared with an analog broadcast. In addition, the digital broadcast can provide a bidirectional service unlike an analog broadcast.
In addition, in order to use the above digital broadcasting, recent multimedia devices have higher performance and a larger number of functions as compared to legacy multimedia devices. In addition, services available in the multimedia device, for example, Internet service, Video On Demand (VOD), network game service, etc., are being diversified.
Although the above-mentioned various functions and services are used in the multimedia device, such functions and services commonly require that a user perform complex input operations. However, due to input operations, it is generally difficult for the user to execute the above-mentioned functions or services using a conventional multimedia device remote controller. Due to the above-mentioned problems, the conventional multimedia device has to force a user to purchase an additional user controller.
Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional multimedia device, it is necessary to develop a gesture recognition method and an improved multimedia device thereof, wherein the gesture recognition method allows a user to perform various functions and services in the multimedia device using peripheral objects.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for performing gesture recognition using objects in a multimedia device that substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a multimedia device for increasing user convenience, and a method for operating the same.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a multimedia device capable of providing a variety of user interface (UI) input units, and a method for operating the same.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the objects that can be achieved by the present invention are not limited to what has been particularly described hereinabove and the above and other objects that the present invention can achieve will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a gesture recognition method for use in a multimedia device includes capturing a peripheral image of the multimedia device by operating an image sensing unit, recognizing an object contained in the captured image, in relation to a gesture made by the recognized object, mapping a multimedia device operation to the gesture, and establishing an input standby mode of the gesture.
In another aspect of the present invention, a gesture recognition method for use in a multimedia device includes capturing a peripheral image of the multimedia device by operating an image sensing unit, recognizing an object contained in the captured image, executing an application corresponding to the recognized object, in relation to a gesture made by the recognized object, mapping a multimedia device operation to the gesture, and establishing an input standby mode of the gesture.
In another aspect of the present invention, a multimedia device for recognizing a user gesture, the multimedia device includes an image sensing unit for capturing a peripheral image of the multimedia device, an image recognition unit for analyzing the image captured by the image sensing unit and recognizing an object contained in the captured image, a storage unit for storing mapping data between a user gesture made by an object and a multimedia device operation, and a controller that searches for the mapping data of the object recognized by the image recognition unit in the storage unit, loads the mapping data, and thus establishes a gesture input standby mode.
In another aspect of the present invention, a multimedia device for recognizing a user gesture includes an image sensing unit for capturing a peripheral image of the multimedia device, an image recognition unit for analyzing the image captured by the image sensing unit and recognizing an object contained in the captured image, an application execution unit for searching and executing an application corresponding to the recognized object, a storage unit for storing mapping data between a user gesture made by an object and an application operation, and a controller that loads the mapping data corresponding to the executed application from the storage unit, and establishes an input standby mode of the gesture related to the executed application operation.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a gesture recognition method for use in a multimedia device includes capturing, via an image sensing unit of the multimedia device, a peripheral image, recognizing a first object contained in the captured peripheral image and a gesture made using the first object, mapping a multimedia device operation to the gesture, and entering into an input standby mode associated with the gesture.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a gesture recognition method for use in a multimedia device includes capturing, via an image sensing unit of the multimedia device, a peripheral image, recognizing a first object contained in the captured image and a gesture made suing the first object, executing an application associated with the recognized object, mapping a multimedia device operation to the gesture, and entering into an input standby mode associated with the gesture and the executed application.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a multimedia device for recognizing a user gesture includes an image sensing unit configured to capture a peripheral image, an image recognition unit configured to analyze the peripheral image captured by the image sensing unit and to recognize a first object contained in the captured image and a gesture made using the first object, a storage unit configured to store mapping data between the gesture made using the first object and a multimedia device operation, and a controller configured to search for the mapping data of the first object recognized by the image recognition unit in the storage unit, to load the mapping data, and to enter into a gesture input standby mode.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a multimedia device for recognizing a user gesture includes an image recognition unit configured to analyze the image captured by the image sensing unit and to recognize a first object contained in the captured image and a gesture made using the first object, an application execution unit configured to search and execute an application corresponding to the recognized first object, a storage unit configured to store mapping data between the gesture made using the first object and an application operation, and a controller configured to load the mapping data corresponding to the executed application from the storage unit, and to establish an input standby mode associated with the gesture and the executed application operation.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. In the following description, a suffix “module” or “unit” appended to terms of constituent elements to be described will be selected or used together in consideration only of the convenience of writing the following specification, and the suffixes “module” and “unit” have any specific meaning or serve any specific purpose.
Meanwhile, the multimedia device to be described in the following specification may correspond to, for example, various types of devices for receiving and processing broadcast data. Further, the multimedia device may be a connected television (TV). The connected TV may further include a broadcast reception function, a wired/wireless communication device, etc., such that it may have user-friendly interfaces such as a handwriting input device, a touch screen, or a remote controller for motion recognition. Further, because the multimedia device supports wired or wireless Internet, it is capable of e-mail transmission/reception, Web browsing, banking, gaming, etc. by connecting to the Internet or a computer. To implement these functions, the multimedia device may operate based on a standard general-purpose Operating System (OS).
Various applications can be freely added to or deleted from, for example, a general-purpose OS kernel in the connected TV according to the present invention. Therefore, the multimedia device may perform a number of user-friendly functions. The connected TV may be a Web TV, an Internet TV, a Hybrid Broad Band TV (HBBTV), a smart TV, a DTV, or the like, for example. The multimedia device is applicable to a smart phone, as needed.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, but it should be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present invention.
In addition, although the terms used in the present invention are selected from generally known and used terms, some of the terms mentioned in the description of the present invention, the detailed meanings of which are described in relevant parts of the description herein, have been selected by the applicant at his or her discretion. Furthermore, the present invention must be understood, not simply by the actual terms used but by the meanings of each term lying within.
Although the multimedia device of
Referring to
The content provider 10 creates and provides content. The content provider 10 may be, for example, a terrestrial broadcaster, a cable System Operator (SO) or Multiple System Operator (MSO), a satellite broadcaster, or an Internet broadcaster, as illustrated in
The service provider 20 may provide content received from the content provider 10 in a service package. For instance, the service provider 20 may package first terrestrial broadcasts, second terrestrial broadcasts, cable MSO, satellite broadcasts, various Internet broadcasts, and applications and provide the packaged broadcasts to users.
The network provider 30 may provide a network over which a service is provided to the client 100. The client 100 may construct a home network and receive a service over the home network.
Meanwhile, the client 100 may also transmit content over a network. In this case, the client 100 serves as a content provider and thus the content provider 10 may receive content from the client 100. Therefore, an interactive content service or data service can be provided.
Referring to
The network interface 21 transmits packets to and receives packets from a network. That is, the network interface 201 receives services and content from a service provider over the network.
The TCP/IP manager 202 is involved in packet reception and transmission of the multimedia device 200, that is, packet delivery from a source to a destination.
The service delivery manager 203 controls received service data. For example, when controlling real-time streaming data, the service delivery manager 203 may use the Real-time Transport Protocol/Real-time Transport Control Protocol (RTP/RTCP). If real-time streaming data is transmitted over RTP, the service delivery manager 203 parses the received real-time streaming data using RTP and outputs the parsed real-time streaming data to the demultiplexer (DEMUX) 205 or stores the parsed real-time streaming data in the SI & metadata DB 211 under the control of the service manager 213. In addition, the service delivery manager 203 feeds back network reception information to a server that provides the real-time streaming data service using RTCP.
The demultiplexer (DEMUX) 205 demultiplexes a received packet into audio data, video data and PSI data and outputs the audio data, video data and PSI data to the audio decoder 206, the video decoder 207, and the PSI & (PSIP and/or SI) decoder 204, respectively.
The PSI & (PSIP and/or SI) decoder 204 decodes SI such as PSI. More specifically, the PSI & (PSIP and/or SI) decoder 704 decodes PSI sections, PSIP sections or Service Information (SI) sections received from the demultiplexer (DEMUX) 205.
The PSI & (PSIP and/or SI) decoder 204 constructs a Service Information (SI) DB by decoding the received sections and stores the SI DB in the SI & metadata DB 211.
The audio decoder 206 and the video decoder 207 decode the audio data and the video data received from the demultiplexer (DEMUX) 205 and output the decoded audio and video data to a user.
The UI manager 214 provides a Graphical User Interface (GUI) in the form of an On Screen Display (OSD) and performs a reception operation corresponding to a key input received from the user. For example, upon receipt of a key input signal from the user regarding channel selection, the UI manager 214 transmits the key input signal to the service manager 213.
The service manager 213 controls managers associated with services, such as the service delivery manager 203, the service discovery manager 210, the service control manager 209, and the metadata manager 212.
The service manager 213 also makes a channel map and selects a channel using the channel map according to the key input signal received from the UI manager 214. The service discovery manager 210 provides information necessary to select an SP that provides a service. Upon receipt of a channel selection signal from the service manager 213, the service discovery manager 210 detects a service based on the channel selection signal.
The service control manager 309 takes charge of selecting and controlling services. For example, if a user selects live broadcasting, like a conventional broadcasting service, the service control manager selects and controls the service using Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) or Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP). If the user selects Video on Demand (VoD), the service control manager 209 selects and controls the service. The metadata manager 212 manages metadata related to services and stores the metadata in the SI & metadata DB 211.
The SI & metadata DB 211 stores the service information (SI) decoded by the PSI & (PSIP and/or SI) decoder 204, the metadata managed by the metadata manager 212, and the information required to select a service provider, received from the service discovery manager 210. The SI & metadata DB 211 may store setup data for the system.
An IMS gateway (IG) 205 is equipped with functions needed to access IMS-based IPTV services.
Several heterogeneous image sensors 260 shown in
Generally, first image sensors related to the processing of depth data are not suitable for recognizing a face located at a remote site due to the limited resolution (e.g., maximum VGA level) and the limited recognition distance (e.g., 3.5 m). Second image sensors related to the processing of color data have a slow recognition speed, and are vulnerable to variations in lighting. Therefore, in order to solve the above shortcomings of the image sensors, the multimedia device according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to interoperate with a hybrid-type image sensor module in which a first image sensor and a second image sensor are combined.
For example, an IR camera or a depth camera may be used as the first image sensor. In more detail, for example, the Time Of Flight (TOF) scheme and the structured light scheme are being discussed for the IR camera or the depth camera. The TOF scheme calculates distance information using a time difference between an infrared emission time and reception of reflected IR light. The structured light scheme emits infrared rays, analyzes a modified pattern, and calculates a distance according to the result of the analysis. However, the first image sensor has advantages over the recognition of depth data and the processing speed of depth data, and can easily detect an object, a person, etc. even under low light conditions. However, the first image sensor has a disadvantage in that it has poor resolution at a remote site.
Further, for example, the color camera or the RGB camera is used as a second image sensor. In more detail, for example, the stereo camera scheme or the mono camera scheme is being intensively discussed as the color or RGB camera. The stereo camera scheme detects and tracks hands, a face, etc. on the basis of time difference comparison information between individual images captured by two cameras. The mono camera scheme detects hands, a face, etc. on the basis of shape and color information captured by one camera. The second image sensor has an advantage in that it has higher resolution than the first image sensor, is vulnerable to peripheral illumination as compared to the first image sensor, and has poor low light recognition performance. Specifically, the second image sensor has difficulty in accurately recognizing depth.
In order to solve the conventional problems, as shown in
Meanwhile, once the first image sensor completes image capture and the first image sensor completes data analysis, the second image sensor captures a specific user face. Detailed captured images are sequentially shown in the regions (5), (6) and (7) of
The first image sensor from among several heterogeneous image sensors according to one embodiment of the present invention captures a first image of a peripheral region of the multimedia device, and extracts depth data from the captured first image. As shown in the region (1) of
Further, the first image sensor can recognize a face of at least one user using the extracted depth data. That is, as shown in the region (2) of
The second image sensor for extracting a color image (i.e., RGB image) from among several heterogeneous image sensors according to one embodiment of the present invention captures the recognized user's face to output a second image as denoted by the region (5) of
On the other hand, if the first image sensor and the second image sensor as shown in
If image capturing of the first image sensor and the second image sensor and data analysis thereof have been completed, the multimedia device according to one embodiment of the present invention gains access to a memory that stores data corresponding to the extracted characteristic information, and extracts information for identifying a specific user stored in the memory.
If the information for identifying the specific user is present in the memory, the multimedia device provides a predetermined service to the specific user.
On the other hand, if the information for identifying the specific user is not present in the memory, the multimedia device is configured to display a notification asking the user if the recognized user should be stored in the memory.
As described above, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the first image sensor is configured to detect position information of a user and coordinate information of the user's face, and the second image sensor is configured to recognize the user's face using data acquired from the first image sensor.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, the second image sensor is conditionally operated, i.e. is configured to operate only in specific circumstances. For example, if information of a distance to the user (hereinafter referred to as user distance information) acquired by the operation of the first image sensor is identical to or less than a first reference value, or if a recognition rate of the user's face acquired by the operation of the first image sensor is higher than the second reference value, a face image of the user who is present in a peripheral region of the multimedia device is detected and recognized using the first image sensor only. On the other hand, if the user distance information acquired by the operation of the first image sensor is higher than the first reference value, or if a recognition rate of the user's face acquired by the operation of the first image sensor is less than the second reference value, the second image sensor is additionally used so that the user's face can be recognized.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, when the second image sensor recognizes the user's face, the multimedia device zooms in on the recognized user's face image using the distance information acquired by the first image sensor, and captures only the user's face using facial coordinate information acquired by the first image sensor.
Therefore, when using different types of heterogeneous image sensors, the multimedia device can recognize the user's face at a remote site and has a higher data processing speed as compared to the conventional art.
A face detection process is different from a face recognition process. The face detection process includes a process for detecting a facial region contained in one image. In contrast, the face recognition process can recognize which user corresponds to the detected face image. Specifically, a method for performing the face detection process using the first image sensor and performing the face recognition process using the second image sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described with reference to
Referring to
Further, the detection module 301 determines the presence or absence of a user's face using image data received from the first image sensor 304. In a process for estimating a region in which a user's face is present, data of knowledge-based detection techniques, feature-based detection techniques, template matching techniques, and appearance-based detection techniques is used.
The recognition module 302 identifies whether or not an objective user is a specific user using image data received from the second image sensor 305. In this case, the recognition module 302 compares the received image data with face vector information stored in the DB 303 on the basis of the above-mentioned recognition data 307, and a detailed description thereof will hereinafter be described with reference to
Referring to
Referring to
In
First, the hardware region 360 may include a data acquisition region 340 and a firmware region 330.
The data acquisition region 340 receives original data to be recognized by the multimedia device through an image sensor, and may include an IR light projector, a depth image sensor, an RGB image sensor, a microphone, and a camera chip.
In addition, the firmware region 330 is present in the hardware region 360 and is configured to interconnect the hardware region and the software region. In addition, the firmware region 330 may be configured as a host application required for a specific application, and may perform downsampling, mirroring, etc.
Therefore, the data acquisition region 340 and the firmware region 330 are interoperable with each other so as to control the hardware region 360. In addition, the firmware region 360 can be controlled through the data acquisition region 340 and the firmware region 330. The firmware region may be driven by a camera chip.
Further, the software region 350 may include an Application Programming Interface (API) region 320 and a middleware region 310.
The API region 320 may be executed by a controller of the multimedia device. In addition, if the camera unit is configured as an additional external device independent of the multimedia device. The API region may be executed in a personal computer (PC), a game console, a set-top box (STB), etc.
The API region 320 may be a simple API for allowing the multimedia device to drive sensors of the hardware region.
The middleware region 310 serving as a recognition algorithm region may include depth processing middleware.
The middleware region 310 can provide an application along with the definite user control API, even when the user inputs a gesture through his or her hand(s) or through the entire region of his or her body. In addition, the middleware region may include an algorithm that performs an operation to search for a user's hand position, an operation for tracking a user's position, an operation for extracting characteristics of the user's frame, and operation for separately recognizing a user image and a background image in the input image. In addition, the algorithm may be operated by means of depth information, color (RGB) information, infrared information, and voice information that are acquired from the hardware region.
Referring to
The emitter 422 emits light to one or more users located in the vicinity of the multimedia device 400. Further, the first image sensor 423 captures a first image using the emitted light, extracts depth data from the captured first image, and detects a face of at least one user using the extracted depth data. In addition, the second image sensor 424 captures a second image of the detected user's face, and extracts characteristic information from the captured second image.
In addition, the extracted characteristic information is transmitted to the face recognition processing module 403 through the interface 410. Although not shown in
The receiver of the face recognition processing module 403 receives characteristic information transmitted from the heterogeneous image sensors 420 and the interface 410. Further, the memory of the face recognition processing module 403 may include characteristic information of at least one user and an ID corresponding to the user.
Therefore, the extractor of the face recognition processing module 430 extracts an ID corresponding to the received characteristic information from the memory, and the controller of the face recognition processing module 403 is configured to automatically perform predetermined functions corresponding to the aforementioned ID.
On the other hand, if the operation of the face recognition processing module is performed in the CPU of the multimedia device as shown in
Referring to
The face recognition processing module 521 shown in
On the other hand, if the operation of the face recognition processing module is performed in the end of the heterogeneous image sensors 520 as shown in
Referring to
According to an embodiment, the first image sensor may be a depth image sensor.
The depth image sensor is characterized in that a pixel value recognized by an image captured through the depth image sensor indicates a distance from the depth image sensor.
The first image sensor group 610 may include an emitter 680 and a first image sensor 690. For example, the emitter may be implemented as an infrared (IR) emitter.
In order to acquire an image through the first image sensor group 610, the Time Of Flight (TOF) scheme and the structured light scheme are used. A detailed description thereof will hereinafter be given. In the TOF scheme, the emitter 680 to emit infrared light and information of a distance from a target object to a depth image sensor is calculated using a phase difference between the emitted infrared light and infrared light reflected from the target object. The structured light scheme allows the emitter 680 to emit infrared patterns (including numerous infrared points), captures an image formed when the patterns are reflected from an object using the image sensor 690 including a filter, and acquires information of a distance from the object to the depth image sensor on the basis of a distortion pattern of the above patterns.
That is, the multimedia device can recognize information of a distance to the object through the depth image sensor. Specifically, if the object is a person, the multimedia device may acquire physical information of the person and coordinate information of each physical part of the person, search for the movement of each physical part, and thus acquire detailed operation information of the physical part of the person.
Furthermore, upon receiving a control signal from the controller 630, the light projector 682 of the emitter 680 projects light on the lens 681, so as to project light on to one or more users present in a peripheral region of the multimedia device.
In addition, under the control of the controller 630, the first image sensor 690 captures a first image using light received through the lens 691, extracts depth data from the captured first image, and transmits the extracted depth data to the controller 630.
According to an embodiment, the second image sensor 620 may be an RGB image sensor. The RGB image sensor is an image sensor for acquiring color information denoted by a pixel value.
The second image sensor 620 may include three image sensors (CMOS parts) to acquire information of R (Red), G (Green) and B (Blue).
In addition, the second image sensor 620 may acquire a relatively-high resolution image as compared to the depth image sensor.
The second image sensor 620 captures a second image of a target object through the lens 621 upon receiving a control signal from the controller 630. Further, the second image sensor 620 may transmit characteristic information extracted from the captured second image to the controller 620.
The controller 630 controls the operations of the above-mentioned modules. In other words, upon receiving a capture start signal through an image sensing unit, the controller 630 captures a target object through the first image sensor group 610 and the second image sensor 620, analyzes the captured image, loads setup information from the memory 640, and thus controls the first image sensor group 610 and the second image sensor 620.
In addition, the controller 630 is designed to transmit the extracted characteristic information to the multimedia device using the interface 650. Therefore, the multimedia device having received the characteristic information can acquire characteristic information depending on the captured image.
The memory 640 may store set values of the first image sensor group 610 and the second image sensor 620. That is, if a user enters a signal for capturing a target object using the image sensing unit, the image sensing unit analyzes the entered image using the controller 630, and loads an image sensor set value depending on the analyzed result from the memory 640, such that the capturing environments of the first image sensor group 610 and the second image sensor 620 can be established.
The memory 640 may be composed of flash memory by way of example. The interface 659 may be implemented as a USB interface for connection to the external multimedia device.
Through the above-mentioned configuration, the user can enter video and audio signals to the multimedia device, and can control the multimedia device through the entered video and audio signals.
Referring to
Referring to
As illustrated in a left graph of
In addition, as shown in an equation located at the right side of
Referring to
The tuner 110 selects an RF broadcast signal, corresponding to either a user-selected channel or all the prestored channels, from among RF broadcast signals received via an antenna. In addition, the selected RF broadcast signal is converted into an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, a baseband image, or an audio signal.
The tuner 110 may receive a single-carrier RF broadcast signal based on an Advanced Television System Committee (ATSC) scheme or a multi-carrier RF broadcast signal based on a Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) scheme.
The demodulator 120 may perform demodulation and channel decoding on the received signal, thereby obtaining a stream signal TS. The stream signal TS may be a signal in which a video signal, an audio signal and a data signal are multiplexed. For example, the stream signal TS may be an MPEG-2 Transport Stream (TS) in which an MPEG-2 video signal and a Dolby AC-3 audio signal are multiplexed.
The stream signal TS may be input to the controller 170 and thus subjected to demultiplexing and A/V signal processing. The processed video and audio signals are output to the display 180 and the audio output unit 185, respectively.
The external device interface 135 may serve as an interface between an external device and the image display apparatus 100. For interfacing, the external device interface 135 may include an A/V Input/Output (I/O) unit (not shown) and/or a wireless communication module (not shown).
The external device interface 135 may connect the external device to the multimedia device 100.
The external device interface 135 may be connected to the external device such as a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) player, a Blu-ray player, a game console, an image sensor, a camera, a camcorder, or a computer (e.g., a laptop computer), wirelessly or by wire. Then, the external device interface 135 receives video, audio, and/or data signals from the external device and transmits the received signals to the controller 170. In addition, the external device interface 135 may output video, audio, and data signals processed by the controller 170 to the external device. In order to receive or transmit audio, video and data signals from or to the external device, the external device interface 135 includes the A/V I/O unit (not shown) and/or the wireless communication module (not shown).
The A/V I/O unit of the external device interface 135 may include a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a Composite Video Banking Sync (CVBS) port, a Component port, a Super-video (S-video) (analog) port, a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) port, a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port, a Red-Green-Blue (RGB) port, and a D-sub port.
The wireless communication module of the external device interface 135 may perform short-range wireless communication with other electronic devices. For short-range wireless communication, the wireless communication module may use Bluetooth, Radio-Frequency IDentification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra WideBand (UWB), ZigBee, and Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) protocols.
The external device interface 135 may be connected to various set-top boxes through at least one of the above-described ports and may thus receive data from or transmit data to the various set-top boxes.
The network interface 130 serves as an interface between the multimedia device 100 and a wired/wireless network such as the Internet. The network interface 130 may include an Ethernet port for connection to a wired network. The wireless communication module of the external signal I/O unit 128 may wirelessly access the Internet. For connection to wireless networks, the network interface 130 may use Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) (i.e., Wi-Fi), Wireless Broadband (WiBro), World Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), and High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA).
The network interface 130 may transmit data to or receive data from another user or electronic device over a connected network or another network linked to the connected network.
The storage unit 140 may store various programs necessary for the controller 170 to process and control signals, and may also store processed video, audio and data signals.
The storage unit 140 may temporarily store a video, audio and/or data signal received from the external device interface 135 or the network interface 130. The storage unit 140 may store information about broadcast channels according to the channel-add function.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit 140 may store data of the user gesture created using a predetermined object, operation data of the multimedia device, or mapping data of the application operation.
The storage unit 140 may store characteristic information of specific objects and images of the objects in the DB 141, and also store the application list that enables the aforementioned objects to be used as input means in the DB 141. The above-described characteristic information may include may include at least one of length, width, shape, thickness, etc. of each object.
The storage unit 140 may include, for example, at least one of a flash memory-type storage medium, a hard disk-type storage medium, a multimedia card micro-type storage medium, a card-type memory (e.g. a Secure Digital (SD) or eXtreme Digital (XD) memory), a Random Access Memory (RAM), or a Read-Only Memory (ROM) such as an Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory. The multimedia device 100 may reproduce content stored in the memory 140 (e.g. video files, still image files, music files, text files, and application files) to the user.
While the storage unit 140 is shown in
The user input interface 150 transmits a signal received from the user to the controller 170 or transmits a signal received from the controller 170 to the user.
For example, the user input interface 150 may receive various user input signals such as a power-on/off signal, a channel selection signal, and a screen setup signal from a remote controller 200 or may transmit a signal received from the controller 170 to the remote controller 200, according to various communication schemes, for example, RF communication and IR communication.
For example, the user input interface 150 may transmit a control signal received from the image sensing unit 190 for sensing a user gesture to the controller 170, or transmit a signal received from the controller 170 to the image sensing unit 190. In this case, the image sensing unit 190 may include a voice sensor, a position sensor, a motion sensor, etc.
The controller 170 may demultiplex the stream signal TS received from the tuner 110, the demodulator 120, or the external device interface 135 into a number of signals and process the demultiplexed signals into audio and video data.
The video signal processed by the controller 170 may be displayed as an image on the display 180. The video signal processed by the controller 170 may also be transmitted to an external output device through the external device interface 135.
The audio signal processed by the controller 170 may be output to the audio output unit 185. Also, the audio signal processed by the controller 170 may be transmitted to the external output device through the external device interface 135.
The display 180 may convert a processed video signal, a processed data signal, and an OSD signal received from the controller 170 or a video signal and a data signal received from the external device interface 135 into RGB signals, thereby generating driving signals.
To sense a user gesture, the multimedia device 100 may further include the sensor unit (not shown) that has at least one of a voice sensor, a position sensor, a motion sensor, and an image sensor, as stated before. A signal sensed by the image sensing unit 150 and a captured image may be output to the controller 170 through the user input interface 150.
The image sensing unit 190 may include a plurality of image sensors that can acquire different kinds of information, and the configuration and operation of the image sensing unit are shown in
The controller 170 may sense a user position or a user gesture using an image captured by the image sensing unit 190 or a signal sensed by the image sensing unit 190, or by combining the captured image and the sensed signal.
Specifically, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the controller 170 may include an image recognition unit 171, and the image recognition unit 170 may analyze the image captured by the image sensing unit and recognize an object present in the captured image.
The image recognition unit 171 extracts characteristic information of each object from the image captured by the image sensing unit 190, and searches for the DB 141 of the storage unit 140 on the basis of the extracted characteristic information, thereby recognizing the searched object. The above-described characteristic information may include may include at least one of length, width, shape, thickness, etc. of the object.
In addition, the image recognition unit 171 searches the DB 141 on the basis of the image captured by the image sensing unit 190.
In addition, the controller 170 may include an application execution unit 172 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The application execution unit 172 may search for an application corresponding to the object recognized by the image recognition unit 171 and execute the searched application.
In particular, the controller 170 may search for appearance information of the object recognized by the image recognition unit 171, search for an application corresponding to the recognized object, and execute the application. The appearance information may include information of size, length, width, appearance, etc. of the recognized object.
In addition, the controller 170 searches for mapping data of the object recognized by the image recognition unit in the storage unit 140, loads the mapping data, and controls a gesture input standby mode to be set.
In addition, the controller 170 receives a user gesture based on the object through the image sensing unit, receives a multimedia device operation signal or an application operation selection signal for the mapping to the input gesture, and controls the mapping data to be stored in the storage unit 140. The remote controller 200 transmits a user input to the user interface (UI) 150. For transmission of user input, the remote controller 200 may use various communication techniques such as Bluetooth, RF communication, IR communication, Ultra Wideband (UWB), and ZigBee, etc.
In addition, the remote controller 200 may receive a video signal, an audio signal or a data signal from the user interface 150 and output the received signals visually, audibly or as vibrations.
Referring to
The image sensing unit can recognize an object using two image sensors that can acquire different kinds of information so as to correctly recognize the object.
The recognized object is established as an input unit, and controls a user interface (UI) of the multimedia device (step S602), and may also be used as an input unit for interaction with an application (step S603).
A method for using the recognized object as an input unit that controls a user interface (UI) of the multimedia device will hereinafter be described with reference to
Referring to
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the multimedia device 701 captures a peripheral environment through the image sensing unit 702, recognizes objects 703, 704 and 705 present in the captured image, and receives a signal for selecting an object to be used as a recognition unit for a user. A menu for receiving the selection signal will hereinafter be described with reference to
That is, as shown in
In addition, information about an object, that is most appropriate for the manipulation of the multimedia device, from among the recognized objects, may be provided to the user.
Through the above-mentioned operations, although the user does not carry out a direct recognition process, the user may search for recommended items of the multimedia device, and use a peripheral object as an input unit according to the search results.
Referring to
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the user 706 may control the multimedia device 701 to enter a manual recognition mode and enter an image of an object to be used as an input unit, so that the object can be established as the input unit.
That is, if the multimedia device is set to an object recognition mode, the multimedia device captures an image of the user through the image sensing unit, and extracts an image of the object 707 held by the user 706 from the captured image.
In addition, the multimedia device analyzes the extracted image so as to determine the type of the object using the DB.
During the above-mentioned manual recognition mode, the multimedia device analyzes images of not all regions capable of being captured by the image sensing unit 702, analyzes and recognizes an image of an object held by the user, so that the multimedia device can quickly and correctly recognize only a desired object.
Referring to
For example, if the user 803 moves the recognized object 804 horizontally, the multimedia device captures the motion of the object through the image sensing unit 802, and analyzes the captured image, so that the pointer 805 displayed on the multimedia device can move right or left.
In addition, the multimedia device can perform a variety of operations for controlling the functions of the multimedia device, for example, changing between channels, adjusting volume, etc.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the user allows a variety of peripheral objects to be recognized by the multimedia device, so that the user may use any of the recognized objects as an input unit necessary for interaction with an application.
The application may include applications for various services, for example, a game application, a music application, a movie application, etc.
For example, referring to
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, referring to
Referring to
Thereafter, the multimedia device extracts characteristics of the objects contained in the image captured by the image sensing unit (Step S1002).
The multimedia device according to one embodiment of the present invention analyzes the image captured by the image sensing unit, and extracts object characteristics from among objects contained in the captured image.
Through the characteristic extraction algorithm, the multimedia device decides whether a quality of the image captured through the image sensing unit is estimated and used, normalizes the processed image through image processing, and extracts characteristic information,
In addition, the multimedia device may extract distance information, coordinate information, and color information of an image captured by each of the depth image sensor and the RGB image sensor.
After that, the multimedia device recognizes an object contained in the image captured by the image sensing unit on the basis of the extracted characteristics (Step S1003).
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, if the above-mentioned characteristic information is extracted, a preset DB stored in the multimedia device is searched for on the basis of the extracted characteristic information. If there is object matching data stored in the DB, the multimedia device determines that the matched object is present in an image captured by the image sensing unit.
Information of size, color, shape, etc. of the object may be used as the above-mentioned matching information.
In addition, upon receiving the above-mentioned recognition result, if it is determined that several objects are present in the image captured by the image sensing unit, the multimedia device displays a predetermined menu such that it can receive a signal for selecting an object to be used as an input unit by the user from among several objects, and a detailed description thereof will be described later with reference to
After that, if the user enters a gesture using the above-mentioned recognized object, the multimedia device configures which operation is to be carried out (Step S1004).
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned setup process may be automatically performed by the multimedia device. Then, the multimedia device displays a predetermined setup menu such that an arbitrary gesture may be assigned to an operation of the multimedia device by the user.
After that, once the above-mentioned setup process is completed, the multimedia device enters an input standby mode (Step S1005).
That is, if the multimedia device loads the above-mentioned setup information in the memory and the image sensing unit of the multimedia device recognizes a user gesture, the multimedia device performs an operation corresponding to the recognized gesture.
Through the above-mentioned operations, the user can use a peripheral object as an input unit for entering a command of the multimedia device, resulting in increased user convenience.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the step S1101 of
Referring to
The aforementioned application may include a variety of applications, for example, a game application, a music application, a movie application, etc.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, if the object is recognized, the multimedia device extracts characteristic information of the recognized object. As a result, based on the extracted characteristic information, the multimedia device determines whether application content suitable for the recognized object to be used as an input unit is present in a database (DB).
The database (DB) may be stored when a manufactured product is constructed by a manufacturer of the multimedia device, or may be stored while being classified according to individual applications by the user. A detailed description of the database (DB) will be described later with reference to
If several applications are searched for during the above search process, the multimedia device displays a predetermined selection menu and thus receives one or more application selection signals. A detailed description thereof will be described later with reference to
Thereafter, the multimedia device executes the searched application content in step S1105.
In accordance with one embodiment, the multimedia device displays a predetermined message prior to executing the above application, such that it can execute the above application only upon receiving a confirmation signal from the user.
In addition, if there is a possibility of the loss of a task that is being executed by the multimedia device, a message including information about the lost task is displayed so that it can prevent a task from being lost.
Next, the multimedia device enters a gesture input standby mode through the recognized object in step S1106.
That is, provided that the multimedia device executes the above application and a gesture created through the object is entered through the image sensing unit of the multimedia device, the above gesture is reflected in the application usage, so that the user can easily use the above-mentioned application.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, while the multimedia device senses an object using the image sensing unit of the multimedia device, it can display a notification message 1201.
Under the condition that the multimedia device is in the object recognition mode, if it moves the object to another position, there may occur an unexpected error in the object recognition mode, the multimedia device outputs the notification message 1201 to prevent the error from being generated.
In addition, the notification message 1201 may include a menu cancellation item, and numerically or visually display information about a residual time until the object recognition is completed.
In addition, in order not to disturb a display image of either content or a service currently being used in the multimedia device, the notification message 1201 may be minimized to a specific region of a display image or be displayed with a given transparency.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, in the case where the multimedia device recognizes a plurality of objects 1301, 1302, 1303, 1303, 1304, 1305, 1306, and 1307 in the image captured by the image sensing unit of the multimedia device, the multimedia device may display a menu for allowing a user to select an object to be used as an input unit from among the plurality of objects.
Specific objects 1306 and 1304 capable of being properly used as input units of the multimedia device may be displayed as color inversion or bold outline, etc.
In relation to each of the recognized objects, information about an application or service capable of being used as an input unit appropriate for each object may also be additionally displayed.
If the above-mentioned menu screen is displayed, the user may select at least one object from among several objects such that the selected object may be set to an input unit.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, if one or more objects are selected from among an image captured by the image sensing unit of the multimedia device, and a specific object is selected as an input unit, the multimedia device may display a confirmation message 1401 that allows the user to enter a confirmation message of the object to be used as the input unit.
The object information 1402 may include either information about a single object selected in the captured image acquired from the image sensing unit of the multimedia device or information about a single object selected from among several objects. In addition, the object information 1402 may include an image of a specific part including the single object, a name of the included object, etc.
In addition, upon receiving a signal for selecting the confirmation menu item 1403 from the user, a setup menu is displayed on the multimedia device as shown in
In addition, upon receiving a signal for selecting the cancellation menu item 1401 from the user, the multimedia device may return to the menu selection screen image shown in
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, if selection of an object to be used as an input unit of the multimedia device is completed, a setup menu image 1501 for mapping an operation of the multimedia device to a gesture of the selected object may be displayed.
The setup menu image 150 may include information 1502 about the selected object, pre-established manipulation information 1503, confirmation menu item 1504, and an edit menu item 1505.
The selected object information 1502 may include a cropped image of a part including the selected object, from among an image captured by the image sensing unit of the multimedia device, and may include name information of the selected object.
The pre-established manipulation information 1503 may include the list of multimedia device operations corresponding to a gesture input using the selected object. The multimedia device operation list may be pre-stored in the multimedia device, or characteristic information of the object is extracted after recognition of the object so that the multimedia device operation list may be automatically constructed.
Upon receiving a signal for selecting the confirmation menu item 1504 from the user, the multimedia device loads setup information contained in the pre-established manipulation information 1503 on a memory, so as to perform an operation corresponding to a predetermined gesture entered through the object.
Upon receiving a signal for selecting the edit menu item 1505 from the user, the multimedia device may receive a signal corresponding to a multimedia device operation for each gesture from the user.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, in relation to an object used as an input unit of the multimedia device, the multimedia device may display a setup menu image 2001 including setup information obtained by mapping a specific operation of the multimedia device to a specific region of the object.
The setup menu image 2001 may include information 2002 of the selected object, detailed manipulation information 2003, a confirmation menu item 2004, and an edit menu item 2005.
The object information 2002 may include a cropped image of a part including the selected object, from among an image captured by the image sensing unit of the multimedia device, and may include name information of the selected object. In addition, the object information 2002 may include information about specific regions 2006 that can be mapped to a specific operation of the multimedia device.
That is, if a specific key value is assigned to a specific region of the object and the multimedia device receives a touch signal directed to the specific region, a specific operation corresponding to the assigned key value can be carried out.
For example, referring to
However, for allocation of the above-mentioned key value, in relation to an object capable of allocating a key value to a specific region, the object size may be limited to a predetermined degree or more in such a manner that the image sensor can recognize the specific region.
The detailed manipulation information 2003 may include a list of multimedia device operations corresponding to a key value input generated by the selected object. For example, the multimedia device operation list may be stored in the multimedia device. In another example, characteristic information of the object is extracted after recognition of the object, such that the extracted characteristic information of the object can be automatically constructed.
In addition, upon receiving a signal for selecting the confirmation menu item 2004 from the user, the multimedia device loads setup information contained in the detailed manipulation information 2003 in the memory. If a predetermined key value is entered through the above object, the multimedia device performs an operation corresponding to the predetermined key value.
Upon receiving a signal for selecting the edit menu item 2005 from the user, the multimedia device may receive a signal about which multimedia device operation is mapped to each specific region from the user.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the multimedia device may provide a user with information that maps the user gesture stored in the multimedia device to a specific command, through the list of user gestures.
That is, the multimedia device maps a specific operation executable in the multimedia device to each user gesture and stores the mapping information between the specific operation and the user gesture. If the user gesture is entered through the image sensing unit of the multimedia device, the multimedia device can extract characteristic information of the received user gesture, search for the stored mapping data, and perform the searched specific information.
The list of user gestures may include information about the mapped user gesture as an image, and may include information about the mapped specific command as images or text.
Referring to
In addition, the list of user gestures may include a menu item 2108 for registering a new user gesture. Therefore, upon receiving a signal for selecting the menu item 2108 from the user, the multimedia device can receive a signal indicating which multimedia device operation is to be mapped to each specific region from the user.
Referring to
That is, if the user is now using predetermined content 1601 through the multimedia device, the above-mentioned input unit setup notification message 1603 may be displayed so as to allow the user to recognize which object was established as an input unit.
In addition, in order not to disturb a display image of either content being displayed on the multimedia device, the input unit notification message 1603 may be displayed with a given transparency.
In addition, the input unit setup notification message 1603 and the information 1602 of the object established as an input unit may be configured in the form of video data or text data.
Referring to
The application selection menu 1701 may include the list of applications 1703, 1704 and 1705 by which the object can be used as an input unit, other menu item (i.e., ‘etc . . . ’ menu item) 1706 for calling the list of other application not present in the above application list, information 1702 about the established object, a confirmation menu item 1708 and a cancellation menu item 1709.
The multimedia device analyzes information about the established object, such that it can extract appearance information (e.g., size, shape, etc.) of the object according to the analyzed information. In addition, the multimedia device searches for a database (DB) on the basis of the extracted appearance information, so that it can determine the presence or absence of an application corresponding to the extracted appearance information. In addition, the multimedia device may also display the application lists 1703, 1704 and 1705 according to the searched result.
The user may select one or more application from among the above-mentioned application lists 1703, 1704 and 1705 using the pointer 1707, enters a signal for selecting the confirmation menu item 1708 using the pointer 1707, so that the established object can be used as an input unit of the selected application.
In addition, if a desired application item is not present in the above-mentioned lists 1703, 1704 and 1705), a selection signal of the other menu item 1706 is entered, so that the multimedia device may control displaying of the application lists that are not present in the above lists 1703, 1704 and 1705.
In addition, the user selects the cancellation menu item 1709, so that the process for establishing the input unit of the multimedia device can be terminated.
Through the selection process shown in
For example, if the application corresponds to the golf game application, the multimedia device may recognize information of the user 1801 and coordinate information of the object 1803 through the image sensing unit, include the recognized information 1801 and 1802, and further include an enlarged image (also called a zoomed-in image) 1804 of the part 1802 at which the object is located.
In other words, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, if an image is captured by a depth image sensor (depth camera) contained in the image sensing unit of the multimedia device, distance information of each part of the object is acquired as an image, so that the multimedia device can acquire coordinate information of each part of the user's body and coordinate information of respective parts of each object.
In addition, the multimedia device tracks the movement of the coordinate information captured by the image sensing unit so as to recognize the user gesture.
In addition, the depth image sensor is vulnerable not only to image capturing at a remote site but also to high-resolution image capturing, so that the multimedia device displays coordinates of the distance information obtained by the depth image sensor and enlarges (i.e., zooms in) an image of the part 1802 in which the object is present, as denoted by a reference numeral 1804.
Since the enlarged image 1804 is displayed as an object of the corresponding application, an image of the golf club 1805 is displayed, so that the user can easily recognize the displayed object.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the multimedia device may store appearance information of appropriate objects, each of which can be used as an input unit, while being classified according to individual applications, in a predetermined DB.
In other words, the DB 1900 includes the application list 1901 installed in the multimedia device. Considering manipulation characteristics of each application contained in the application list 1901, the DB 1900 may store appearance information 1902 of respective objects capable of being used as input units of the above-mentioned applications.
The appearance information 1902 may include a size range of the object, a length range, a shape range, etc.
The DB 1900 may be stored when a manufactured product is constructed by a manufacturer of the multimedia device. If necessary, the user may enter and store desired data to the DB 1900. In addition, since a new application is installed in the multimedia device, the DB can be updated.
In other words, if a signal for selecting an object to be used as an input is input to the multimedia device, the multimedia device analyzes characteristics of the object, and searches for the DB 1900 according to the analyzed result, thereby extracting the appropriate application list.
The multimedia device and the method for operating the same according to the foregoing exemplary embodiments are not restricted to the configuration and the method of the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Therefore, variations and combinations of all or some of the exemplary embodiments set forth herein may fall within the scope of the present invention.
The method for operating the multimedia device according to the foregoing exemplary embodiments may be implemented as code that can be written on a computer-readable recording medium and thus read by a processor. The computer-readable recording medium may be any type of recording device in which data is stored in a computer-readable manner. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disc, an optical data storage, and a carrier wave (e.g., data transmission over the Internet). The computer-readable recording medium can be distributed over a plurality of computer systems connected to a network so that computer-readable code is written thereto and executed therefrom in a decentralized manner.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.
As apparent from the above description, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have the following effects.
One embodiment of the present invention can use a variety of objects present in a peripheral region as input units for entering a predetermined command to a multimedia device, resulting in increased user convenience.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides an application that uses an object as an input unit according to a shape of the object, making the application more interesting and enjoyable to a user.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2010-0112528 | Nov 2010 | KR | national |
