Touchless Gesture Calibration Using Depth Camera Reflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touchless gesture control technologies for electronic display screens either require cumbersome calibration, provide limited hand recognition precision, or offer complete hardware solutions that are difficult to retrofit onto existing displays, making it challenging to easily equip screens with touchless control capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A method using a calibration device with a depth camera and a reflective surface to detect a calibration pattern displayed on the screen, determining the device's position and orientation, and defining a touchless gesture control input area, allowing for precise and easy calibration of electronic display screens without the need for specific calibration patterns or hardware additions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If depth sensors or lidar technology are used for touchless gesture control, then gesture detection capability is improved, but device complexity and calibration difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a reflective calibration object that copies the displayed calibration pattern back to the depth camera. This optical copying approach simplifies calibration by creating a direct visual feedback loop, eliminating the need for complex sensor-to-screen coordinate mapping that would otherwise be required with direct depth sensing alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration object with reflective surface acts as an intermediary between the display screen and the depth camera. It mediates the calibration process by reflecting the displayed pattern back to the camera, enabling the system to automatically determine spatial relationships without requiring complex direct measurement and calculation.
2Reliability
If all-in-one hardware solutions are used to replace existing displays, then touchless control capability is provided, but ease of retrofitting existing screens deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the touchless control functionality into distinct components: the existing display screen remains unchanged, while a depth camera and calibration object are added as separate elements. This segmentation allows the solution to be retrofitted onto existing displays without replacing the entire system, maintaining reliability while improving ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration object serves multiple functions: it displays the calibration pattern, reflects it back to the camera, and provides reference points for spatial calibration. This multi-functionality reduces the overall system complexity and makes the retrofitting process more straightforward, as a single component achieves several objectives simultaneously.
3Device complexity
If single camera systems are used for hand tracking, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to the calibration process by using a reflective calibration object that provides structured visual feedback. This allows a single camera to effectively capture multiple reference points and spatial relationships over time, compensating for the lack of multiple simultaneous camera views and maintaining measurement precision without increasing hardware complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables simple and precise calibration of electronic display screens, enabling touchless gesture control on existing screens with minimal setup, enhancing user interaction by providing a robust and user-friendly touchless control option.
Implementation Method 1
detecting, using at least one depth camera, a calibration device being placed on the electronic display screen and a reflection of at least a part of the calibration pattern, wherein the reflection may be provided by a reflective surface of the calibration device
Data Source
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AI summary
A computer-implemented method of calibrating an electronic display screen for touchless gesture control using a calibration device, wherein the method comprises: displaying, by the electronic display screen, a calibration pattern; detecting, using at least one depth camera, a calibration device being placed on the electronic display screen and a reflection of at least a part of the calibration pattern, wherein the reflection is provided by a reflective surface of the calibration device; determining, based on the detected reflection, the position of the calibration device with respect to the displayed calibration pattern on the electronic display screen; defining a touchless gesture control input area for the electronic display screen being observable by the at least one depth camera.