3D Gesture Interface Depth Map Processing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current user interface technologies, such as touch screens and infrared remote controls, lack the ability to provide intuitive and efficient three-dimensional interaction with computer systems, limiting the potential for gesture recognition and control without physical contact.
Innovation Solution
A 3D sensing system that captures depth maps of a user's body to detect movement and gestures, allowing for control of computer applications without physical contact by defining interaction and visualization surfaces in space, and processing these maps to generate control inputs based on detected movements and postures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If touch screens and infrared remote controls are used for user interaction, then the interface can detect user input, but the system lacks three-dimensional interaction capability and intuitive gesture recognition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional touch screen interaction to three-dimensional gesture recognition by introducing depth-perceptive sensors that capture spatial information in the Z-dimension. This enables users to interact with virtual objects in 3D space through natural hand gestures, adding a new dimension to the traditional flat interface and resolving the contradiction between interaction versatility and interface complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical mechanical interaction (touching the screen) with optical field-based detection (depth sensing). Instead of requiring direct contact with the display surface, the system uses optical sensors to detect hand position, shape, and movement in three-dimensional space, substituting mechanical contact with non-contact optical measurement.
2Ease of operation
If physical contact with the display is required, then control input can be detected, but the user cannot perform gesture recognition without touching the display
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical contact-based input with optical field-based gesture detection. Depth-perceptive sensors capture the shape, position, and movement of hand gestures in three-dimensional space without requiring physical contact with the display, enabling intuitive gesture recognition while eliminating the limitations of touch-based interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an optical field as an intermediary between the user and the computer system. Instead of direct mechanical contact, the user's gestures interact with the optical field detected by depth sensors, which then translate these interactions into control inputs. This intermediary layer enables contactless gesture recognition while maintaining precise control capability.
3Measurement precision
If depth maps are processed to detect movement direction and speed, then control precision is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary processing of depth maps by establishing an interaction surface and interaction region before detailed gesture analysis. The system pre-defines the spatial boundaries and parameters within which gestures will be recognized, allowing subsequent movement detection to focus only on relevant regions and reducing overall processing complexity while maintaining high measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the processing task into distinct stages: first capturing depth maps, then identifying interaction regions,接着 detecting movement within those regions, and finally interpreting gestures. This segmentation of the processing pipeline allows each stage to handle specific aspects of the data, reducing the computational complexity of any single processing step while achieving high overall precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A user interface method includes defining an interaction surface containing an interaction region in space. A sequence of depth maps is captured over time of at least a part of a body of a human subject. The depth maps are processed in order to detect a direction and speed of movement of the part of the body as the part of the body passes through the interaction surface. A computer application is controlled responsively to the detected direction and speed.