Camera Gesture Control for Home Appliances in Noisy, Touch-Free Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional home appliance control methods, such as touch-based interfaces and voice-based assistants, are not user-friendly for mobility-challenged individuals, speech-impaired users, or those in noisy environments, as they require physical proximity, dexterity, or sophisticated natural language processing.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for controlling home appliances using motion gestures detected by cameras, allowing users to perform gestures from a distance without physical contact, using spatiotemporal features and deep learning models to recognize and translate gestures into control commands for various appliances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If touch-based control interface is used, then control precision is improved, but accessibility for mobility-challenged users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical touch-based control system with an optical gesture recognition system. Cameras capture hand movements and the system processes these visual inputs to generate control commands, eliminating the need for physical contact with the appliance control panel while maintaining control precision through sophisticated image processing algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary gesture recognition system between the user and the appliance control. Instead of direct touch interaction, the system uses camera-based gesture detection as a mediator to translate user hand movements into control commands, making the interaction accessible to users who cannot physically reach or touch the control panel.
2Ease of operation
If voice-based digital assistant is used, then hands-free operation is improved, but usability in noisy environments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the acoustic voice recognition system with an optical gesture recognition system. Instead of processing sound waves and natural language, the system captures visual information from cameras and processes hand gesture sequences to generate control commands, providing hands-free operation without being affected by ambient noise levels.
3Ease of operation
If remote controller is used, then accessibility is improved, but reliability when controller is unavailable deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the appliance to serve itself by incorporating built-in camera and gesture recognition capabilities directly into the appliance. This eliminates the need for external remote controllers, as the appliance can independently detect and respond to user gestures, ensuring reliability regardless of whether a remote controller is available.
4Measurement precision
If contact-based control is used, then control precision is improved, but safety for sensitive appliances deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces direct mechanical contact control with non-contact optical gesture recognition. Cameras capture hand movements in the air space near the appliance, and the system processes these gestures to generate control commands, maintaining control precision while eliminating physical contact that could expose users to hot surfaces or sensitive components.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system of controlling an appliance includes: receiving, from a first home appliance, a request to start video image processing for detecting a motion gesture of a user; processing a sequence of image frames captured by a camera corresponding to the first home appliance to identify a first motion gesture; selecting a second home appliance as a target home appliance for the first motion gesture in accordance with one or more target selection criteria, including first target selection criteria based on a location of the user relative to the first home appliance and second target selection criteria based on a level of match between the first motion gesture and a first control gesture corresponding to the second home appliance; and generating a control command to control the second home appliance in accordance with the first control gesture corresponding to the second home appliance.