Skin Color Based Gesture Recognition Without Additional Sensors

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing gesture recognition technologies face challenges with sensor-based methods requiring additional sensors and high computation for hand detection, leading to difficulties in integration and high error rates, while artificial vision-based methods struggle with accurate skin color identification.

Innovation Solution

A user interface apparatus and method utilizing artificial vision technology that detects hand movements by learning skin color from a reference face area, accumulating movement information from image frames, and filtering unintended movements to create a user interface screen without additional sensors and with low error detection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If sensor-based methods are used for gesture recognition, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to requiring additional sensors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegesture detection accuracyVSAvoidsensor integration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces sensor-based mechanical detection systems with an artificial vision-based optical system. Instead of using accelerometers, gyroscopes, or haptic sensors attached to the user, the system uses a camera to capture images and detect hand gestures through skin color analysis and movement tracking, thereby eliminating the need for additional sensors while maintaining gesture recognition capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a visual copy of the hand gesture through image capture and processing. By capturing images of the user's hand and analyzing skin color regions in these visual copies, the system can detect gestures without physical sensors, substituting optical information for mechanical sensing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Device complexity

If artificial vision-based methods are used for gesture recognition, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to high error rates in skin color detection

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem integration simplicityVSAvoidhand detection accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the image processing into distinct stages: skin color detection to identify potential hand regions, movement detection to track changes between frames, and gesture recognition to interpret the movement patterns. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, improving overall accuracy while maintaining system simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary skin color learning by capturing images of the user's face or hand to establish a reference skin color profile before actual gesture detection begins. This preliminary action creates a customized color threshold that adapts to the specific user's skin tone, significantly improving detection accuracy for subsequent gesture recognition

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If sensor-based methods are used for gesture recognition, then measurement precision is improved, but use of energy increases due to high computation requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegesture detection accuracyVSAvoidcomputation energy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by focusing computational resources only on regions of the image that contain skin-colored pixels or show movement. Instead of processing entire frames at high computational cost, the system identifies and processes only the relevant hand regions, reducing energy consumption while maintaining detection accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS8675916B2User interface apparatus and method using movement recognition
Publication Date: 2014.03.18 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • US8675916B2 patent drawing
  • US8675916B2 patent drawing
  • US8675916B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A movement recognition method and a user interface are provided. A skin color is detected from a reference face area of an image. A movement-accumulated area, in which movements are accumulated, is detected from sequentially accumulated image frames. Movement information corresponding to the skin color is detected from the detected movement-accumulated area. A user interface screen is created and displayed using the detected movement information.