KR101731405B1 - Method and apparatus for generating a signal in a computer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of generating a signal in a computer. The method comprises: a step of receiving an image of a users face; a step of changing the received image into an image in a YCbCr color space; a step of detecting at least one of eyes, a nose, and a mouth from the changed image; a step of detecting pixels in a predetermined pixel level range from an image in the YCbCr color space; a step of detecting a contour of the user face based on at least one of eyes, the nose, and the mouth and pixels in the predetermined pixel level; and a step of generating a signal to move a mouse cursor as the contour moves with time.

Description

[0001] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING A SIGNAL IN A COMPUTER [0002]

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating a signal in a computer and more particularly to a method for generating a signal for moving a mouse cursor or a signal for clicking a mouse in a computer, To the device.

A mouse is a type of computer input device, which means a device that moves on the surface of a desktop or the like, moves a cursor on the screen, and selects a command or executes a program by pressing a button on the mouse.

People who have no physical impairment have no problem using these mice, but it is difficult or impossible to use a conventional mouse for people with physical disabilities, such as those with physical disabilities.

Currently, a specially designed handicap mouse has been developed for people with physical disabilities, but these mice are generally expensive and hard to find on the market.

Therefore, it is necessary to use existing equipment to purchase expensive and expensive equipment, so that a person with an uncomfortable body can move a mouse cursor, select a command, or execute a program.

The present invention has been accomplished on the basis of the above technical background, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for manufacturing the same, .

The present invention is not limited to a specially manufactured expensive equipment, but rather a technique capable of moving a mouse cursor, selecting a command, or executing a program using equipment (e.g., a webcam, etc.) And the like.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for generating a signal in a computer, the method comprising: receiving an image of a user's face; Changing the received image to an image in a YCbCr color space; Detecting at least one of eyes, nose, and mouth from the modified image; Detecting pixels within a predetermined pixel value range in an image of the YCbCr color space; Detecting an outline of the user's face based on at least one of the detected eye, nose, and mouth and pixels within the predetermined pixel numerical value range; And generating a signal for moving the mouse cursor according to the movement of the contour according to time.

The method for generating a signal in a computer according to the invention further comprises the step of generating a signal for a mouse click when the change of motion of the contour is within a predetermined range of motion for a predetermined time .

The method for generating a signal in a computer according to the present invention further includes generating an alarm signal when the number of pixels in the predetermined pixel numerical value range out of a predetermined range in the image of the YCbCr color space .

A method for generating a signal in a computer according to the present invention is characterized by further comprising a step of calculating a difference between a distance between the user's face and the image pickup section based on the number of pixels in the predetermined pixel value range in the image of the YCbCr color space And generating a signal indicative of the distance.

Next, an apparatus for generating a signal in a computer according to the present invention includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor comprising: an operation of receiving an image of a user's face; Changing the received image to an image in a YCbCr color space; Detecting at least one of eyes, nose, and mouth from the modified image; Detecting pixels within a predetermined pixel value range in an image of the YCbCr color space; Detecting an outline of the user's face based on at least one of the detected eye, nose, and mouth and pixels within the predetermined pixel numerical range; And to generate a signal for moving the mouse cursor according to the movement of the contour according to the time.

In addition, in an apparatus for generating a signal in a computer according to the present invention, the processor performs an operation of generating a signal for a mouse click when a change in motion of the contour is within a predetermined range of motion for a predetermined time In order to achieve the above object.

In addition, in an apparatus for generating a signal in a computer according to the present invention, the processor may generate an alarm signal when the number of pixels in the predetermined pixel numerical value range out of a predetermined range in an image of the YCbCr color space In order to perform the operation.

In addition, in an apparatus for generating a signal in a computer according to the present invention, the processor converts the received image into an image of a user's face and an image of a user based on the number of pixels in the predetermined pixel value range in an image of a YCbCr color space. And to generate a signal indicating a distance between the photographing units.

The present invention is not limited to a specially manufactured expensive equipment, but rather a technique capable of moving a mouse cursor, selecting a command, or executing a program using equipment (e.g., a webcam, etc.) Can be provided.

In addition, the present invention can provide an alarm notifying a user that an image capturing unit (e.g., a webcam, etc.), which is a conventional computer apparatus, is too close or far away.

In addition, the present invention can display the distance between the user and the image capturing unit which is an existing computer apparatus.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and various effects can be included within the scope of what is well known to a person skilled in the art from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is an illustration of an existing device in which the present invention may be implemented;
2 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing a method for generating a signal in a computer according to the present invention.
3 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing an apparatus for generating a signal in a computer.

Various aspects of the invention are now described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects of the invention. It is evident, however, that such aspects may be practiced without these specific details. It should also be understood that the drawings are shown to differ from the actual proportions for convenience of description. It is to be understood that the operations specifically illustrated in the flowcharts may be added, deleted, or reordered as needed. It is also to be understood that the communication via a certain entity in the flowchart can be communicated directly without passing through the entity.

Hereinafter, an existing apparatus in which the present invention can be implemented will be schematically described with reference to FIG.

1, the present invention can be implemented using a conventional apparatus 100 such as an image capturing unit 110, a display unit 120, and a computer 130 such as a webcap.

The face of the user 140 is photographed by the image capturing unit 110. The computer 130 receiving the photographing information detects the face contour of the user and recognizes the movement of the face contour according to time, You can create a computer signal that moves the cursor or performs a mouse click action.

The image capturing unit 110 used in the present invention may be a camera connected to a computer using a USB terminal, a camera built in a notebook, or a means capable of photographing other images.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2, a method for generating a signal in a computer according to the present invention will be described.

Referring to FIG. 2, a method 200 for generating a signal in a computer according to the present invention includes receiving an image of a user's face 210, changing the received image to an image of a YCbCr color space 220) detecting (230) at least one of eye, nose, and mouth in the modified image, detecting (240) pixels within a predetermined pixel value range in the image of the YCbCr color space, Detecting (250) the contour of the user's face based on at least one of the nose, mouth, and pixels within the predetermined pixel value range; And generating (260) a signal for moving the mouse cursor according to the movement of the contour over time.

In operation 210, an image of the user's face is received, and an image of the user's face may be captured using an image capturing unit such as a webcam. Further, the image photographed by the image pickup section may be an image in the RGB color space.

In operation 220, the received image is converted into an image of a YCbCr color space. For example, since an image in an RGB color space has a large capacity, it is necessary to reduce the capacity of the received image in order to track a user's face moving in real time. To do this, the received image is changed to an image in the YCbCr color space. The YCbCr color space model can be used to compress video in a manner that allocates a lower number of bits.

The YCbCr color space is a color model in which the brightness component (Y) and the color difference information (Cb, Cr) are separately expressed in the RGB color space. In a digital image, Y, Cb, and Cr have values between 0 and 255, respectively. When Y becomes larger, the entire image becomes brighter. When Y becomes smaller, the entire image becomes darker. The YCbCr model is a color model used in the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). It is used to assign a large number of bits (resolution) to Y, using Cb, Cr Lt; / RTI > compresses the video in a manner that assigns a lower number of bits. The YCbCr model is also called the YUV model.

For reference, the conversion relationship between the RGB color space and the YCbCr color space is shown in Table 1 below.

YCbCr <-> RGB
Y = (299 * R + 587 * G + 114 * B) / 1000
Cb = 0.5643 * (B - Y) + 128
Cr = 0.7132 * (R - Y) + 128

R = (1000 * Y + 1402 * (Cr-128)) / 1000
G = 1000 * Y - 714 * (Cr-128) - 334 (Cb-128) / 1000
B = (1000 * Y + 1772 * (Cb-128)) / 1000

Step 230 is a step of detecting at least one of eyes, nose, and mouth from the modified image. In the above step, if an image of the eye, nose, and mouth is stored in advance and the received image has a similar shape to the image, an algorithm for detecting the eye, nose, and mouth may be used.

The step 240 is a step of detecting pixels within a predetermined pixel value range in the image of the YCbCr color space. The step 240 is a step for detecting a pixel corresponding to the skin color in the received image. To this end, the user directly inputs a numerical range of a pixel corresponding to the skin color, or when a user photographs his / her face through the image photographing unit, a predetermined range of values is determined in advance by using a pixel value corresponding to the skin color of the user as a center value Pixel value range.

Meanwhile, the steps 230 and 240 may be performed in reverse order.

The step 250 is a step of detecting an outline of the user's face based on at least one of the detected eyes, nose, and mouth and pixels within the predetermined pixel numerical value range. When at least one of the eye nose and the mouth is detected, it can be recognized that the peripheral portion is a face. If the pixels in the peripheral portion are pixels within a predetermined pixel value range, the peripheral portion corresponds to the user's face. Through this process, it is possible to detect the outline of the user's face. Also, in the above step, it is possible to detect the outline of the user's face based on 1) detected eyes, nose and mouth and 2) each of the pixels within the predetermined pixel numerical value range, but in the present invention, It is possible to detect a user's face more efficiently than an algorithm that detects a user's face using only one condition.

On the other hand, after the step of detecting the outline of the user's face by the step 250, pixels within a predetermined pixel value range (i.e., flesh color pixels) are changed to white pixels, pixels outside the predetermined pixel value range A pixel other than a color image) can be performed by changing to a black pixel.

The step 260 is a step of generating a signal for moving the mouse cursor according to the movement of the contour according to time. Step 260 may be performed by matching the X and Y coordinate values of the outline of the face with the X and Y coordinate values of the mouse cursor and then moving the mouse cursor based on the value of the movement of the outline of the face.

It is also possible to generate a signal for a mouse click when the change in motion of the contour is within a predetermined range of motion for a predetermined time. A signal for a mouse click can be generated when a change in the movement of the facial contour is stopped for a predetermined time or within a predetermined range of motion to enable a mouse click with minimal gestures for a person with a physical discomfort.

It is also possible to generate a warning signal when the number of pixels within a predetermined pixel value range in the image of the YCbCr color space exceeds a predetermined range. The detection rate for detecting the contour of the user's face may vary depending on the distance between the image capturing unit and the user's face. Therefore, after specifying the distance range that can be detected best, the user can be warned if the distance between the image photographing part and the face of the user is out of this range of distance. When the distance between the user's face and the image pickup section is close to each other, the number of pixels within a predetermined pixel value range (i.e., pixels having a skin color) increases. If the distance between the user's face and the image pickup section is large, The number of pixels in the range decreases. Using this principle, a warning "too close" can be given if the distance between the image capturing section and the user's face is too close (i.e., the number of pixels within a predetermined pixel value range is greater than a predetermined range) (That is, when the number of pixels within a predetermined pixel numerical value range is smaller than a predetermined range), it is possible to give a warning that "too large" It may warn that "is appropriate" if the distance between the part and the user's face is appropriate (i.e., the number of pixels within the predetermined pixel value range is within a predetermined range). The user can increase the detection rate by adjusting the distance between the image photographing unit and the user's face in response to such a warning.

For example, if the number of pixels within a predetermined pixel value range (i.e., a pixel having a skin color) is 10000 or more, a warning of "too close" You can warn about 5000, or "just right."

It is also possible to generate a signal indicative of the distance between the user's face and the image capturing section based on the number of pixels in the predetermined pixel value range within the image of the YCbCr color space. As described above, when the distance between the user's face and the image capturing unit is close to each other, the number of pixels (i.e., pixels having a skin color) within a predetermined pixel value range increases and the distance between the user's face and the image capturing unit increases The number of pixels within a predetermined pixel value range decreases. It is possible to generate a signal that directly displays the distance between the face of the user and the image capturing unit.

3 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing an apparatus for generating a signal in a computer according to the present invention.

An apparatus 300 for generating signals in a computer according to the present invention may include an image capturing unit 310, a computer 320 and a display unit 350, Processor 340 may be included. The image capturing unit 310 captures the user's face, and the display unit 350 can display the movement of the cursor of the mouse, the distance between the user's face and the image capturing unit, a warning according to the distance, and the like. The memory 330 in the computer 320 may store programs or data for performing operations in accordance with the present invention and the processor 340 is configured to perform operations in accordance with the present invention.

It should be understood that the foregoing description illustrates exemplary aspects of the present invention, but that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the described aspects of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Also, although elements of the described aspects of the invention may be described or claimed as singular, the singular is also considered to be plural, unless explicitly stated to the contrary. Furthermore, all or part of any aspect of the invention may be utilized with all or part of any other aspect, unless otherwise stated.

Claims (8)

A method for generating a signal in a computer,
If an image of the user's face is received, changing the received image to an image in a YCbCr color space;
Detecting at least one face detail shape for recognizing the face of the user in the changed image;
Detecting pixels within a predetermined pixel value range in an image of the YCbCr color space;
Detecting an outline of the user's face based on the detected at least one face detail shape and pixels within the predetermined pixel value range;
And generating a signal for moving the mouse cursor according to the movement of the contour according to time,
Wherein the detecting of the pixels comprises:
And generating an alert signal when the number of pixels in the predetermined pixel value range deviates from a predetermined range. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising generating a signal for a mouse click when a change in motion of the contour is within a predetermined range of motion for a predetermined time.
A method for generating a signal in a computer. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the face detail shape comprises at least one of an eye, a nose, and a mouth. A method for generating a signal in a computer,
If an image of the user's face is received, changing the received image to an image in a YCbCr color space;
Detecting at least one face detail shape for recognizing the face of the user in the changed image;
Detecting pixels within a predetermined pixel value range in an image of the YCbCr color space;
Detecting an outline of the user's face based on the detected at least one face detail shape and pixels within the predetermined pixel value range; And
And generating a signal for moving the mouse cursor according to the movement of the contour according to time,
Wherein the detecting of the pixels comprises:
Generating a signal indicative of a distance between the user's face and the image capturing unit based on the number of pixels within the predetermined pixel value range within the image of the YCbCr color space Way. An apparatus for generating a signal in a computer,
A memory and a processor coupled to the memory,
The processor comprising:
When an image of the user's face is received, changing the received image to an image in the YCbCr color space;
Detecting at least one face detail shape for recognizing the face of the user in the changed image;
Detecting pixels within a predetermined pixel value range in an image of the YCbCr color space;
Detecting an outline of the user's face based on the detected at least one face detail shape and pixels within the predetermined pixel value range; And
And a signal for moving the mouse cursor according to the movement of the contour according to time,
The operation of detecting the pixels includes:
Further comprising generating an alert signal when the number of pixels in the predetermined pixel value range deviates from a predetermined range. 6. The method of claim 5,
The processor comprising:
And to generate a signal for a mouse click when a change in motion of the contour is within a predetermined range of motion for a predetermined time,
An apparatus for generating a signal in a computer. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the face detail shape comprises at least one of an eye, a nose, and a mouth. An apparatus for generating a signal in a computer,
A memory and a processor coupled to the memory,
The processor comprising:
When an image of the user's face is received, changing the received image to an image in the YCbCr color space;
Detecting at least one face detail shape for recognizing the face of the user in the changed image;
Detecting pixels within a predetermined pixel value range in an image of the YCbCr color space;
Detecting an outline of the user's face based on the detected at least one face detail shape and pixels within the predetermined pixel value range; And
And a signal for moving the mouse cursor according to the movement of the contour according to time,
The operation of detecting the pixels includes:
Generating a signal indicative of a distance between the user's face and the image capturing unit based on the number of pixels in the predetermined pixel value range within the image of the YCbCr color space; / RTI &gt;

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