System and method for control based on face or hand gesture detection

Abstract

System and method for control using face detection or hand gesture detection algorithms in a captured image. Based on the existence of a detected human face or a hand gesture in an image captured by a digital camera, a control signal is generated and provided to a device. The control may provide power or disconnect power supply to the device (or part of the device circuits). The location of the detected face in the image may be used to rotate a display screen to achieve a better line of sight with a viewing person. The difference between the location of the detected face and an optimum is the error to be corrected by rotating the display to the required angular position. A hand gesture detection can be used as a replacement to a remote control for the controlled unit, such as a television set.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device for detecting elements in an image, the device comprising:
 a digital camera for capturing the image in a digital data form;   an image processor coupled to receive the image from said digital camera and for executing element detection algorithm to detect first and second elements in the captured image;   a second processor and firmware or software executable by said second processor, said second processor being coupled to control said image processor and to said digital camera and being operative for generating a first control signal in response to the detection of the first and second elements; and   a single enclosure housing said digital camera, said image processor, and said second processor,   wherein the detection of the second element is based on the detection of the first element.   
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the detection of the second element is based on the location of the first element in the image. 
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 2 , wherein the detection of the second element is in a region of the image bearing a predetermined relation to the location of the first element in the image. 
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the first element is a body part. 
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 4 , wherein the second element is a body part. 
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 5 , wherein the second element is a body part distinct from the first element. 
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 4 , wherein the body part is a human hand or a human face. 
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 7 , wherein the first element is a human face and the second element is a human hand. 
     
     
         9 . The device according to  claim 7 , wherein one of the elements is a hand gesture. 
     
     
         10 . The device according to  claim 9 , wherein the hand gesture includes extending one of: a single finger, multiple fingers, or all fingers of one hand. 
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 7 , wherein the detection of the hand is in a region of the image bearing a predetermined relation to the location of the face in the image. 
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a switch coupled to be actuated by the first control signal. 
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 12 , wherein said switch is connected between a power source and an apparatus, for powering the apparatus from the power source in response to the first control signal. 
     
     
         14 . The device according to  claim 13 , wherein the apparatus is external to said single enclosure. 
     
     
         15 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein said image processor consists of, or comprises, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing an image processing algorithm for detecting the first and second elements in the captured image. 
     
     
         16 . The device according to  claim 1 , further comprising: a communication port coupled to said second processor for coupling to a network medium; and a transceiver coupled to said communication port for transmitting the first control signal to the network medium. 
     
     
         17 . The device according to  claim 16 , wherein said transceiver is further coupled to said digital camera for transmitting the image over the network medium. 
     
     
         18 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein said digital camera comprises:
 an optical lens for focusing received light, said lens being mechanically oriented to guide the image;   a photosensitive image sensor array disposed at least approximately at an image focal point plane of the optical lens for capturing the image and producing an analog signal representing the image; and   an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter coupled to said image sensor array for converting the analog signal to a digital data representation of the image.   
     
     
         19 . The device according to  claim 18 , wherein said image sensor array is based on Charge-Coupled Devices (CCD) or Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Devices (CMOS). 
     
     
         20 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the device consists of, is part of, or comprises, a television set operative to receive and display television channels on a screen. 
     
     
         21 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the device consists of, is part of, or comprises, a personal computer. 
     
     
         22 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the device consists of, is part of, or comprises, a cellular telephone. 
     
     
         23 . The device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a port for outputting the first control signal to an apparatus that is external to said single enclosure. 
     
     
         24 . A television set for receiving and displaying television channels, the television set comprising:
 a flat screen for displaying the television channels;   a digital camera for capturing the image in digital data form, said digital camera having a center line of sight and being mechanically fixed so that said digital camera is maintained in a fixed position relative to said flat screen;   a communication port for coupling to a network medium;   a transceiver coupled to said communication port for transmitting serial digital data to, or receiving serial digital data from, the network medium;   software and a processor to execute said software coupled to control said flat screen, said transceiver, and said digital camera; and   a single enclosure housing said flat screen, said digital camera, said processor, said communication port, and said transceiver,   
       wherein said transceiver is coupled to said digital camera for transmitting the image over the network medium. 
     
     
         25 . The television set according to  claim 24  wherein said transceiver is coupled to said flat screen for receiving and displaying information from the network medium. 
     
     
         26 . The television set according to  claim 24  further comprising an image processor coupled to receive the image in digital data form from said digital camera and for applying an element detection algorithm to detect the element in the captured image, and wherein said television set responds to the element detection. 
     
     
         27 . The device according to  claim 24  wherein said digital camera is fixed in position relative to said screen and is oriented to capture an image of a scene substantially in front of said screen. 
     
     
         28 . The television set according to  claim 24 , wherein said digital camera comprises:
 an optical lens for focusing received light;   a photosensitive image sensor array disposed approximately at an image focal point plane of the optical lens for capturing the image and producing electronic image information representing the image; and   an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter coupled to said image sensor for generating a digital data representation of the image.   
     
     
         29 . The television set according to  claim 28  wherein said image sensor array is based on Charge-Coupled Devices (CCD) or Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) devices. 
     
     
         30 . The television set according to  claim 24 , wherein said communication port is an antenna for over-the-air radio frequency communication, and wherein said transceiver is a wireless transceiver. 
     
     
         31 . The television set according to  claim 30 , wherein said over-the-air radio frequency communication uses a license-free frequency band. 
     
     
         32 . The television set according to  claim 31 , wherein the license-free frequency band is an ISM band. 
     
     
         33 . The television set according to  claim 32 , wherein the ISM band is 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz. 
     
     
         34 . The television set according to  claim 30 , wherein: the over-the-air radio frequency communication is communication over a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN); said antenna is a WPAN antenna; and said wireless transceiver is a WPAN transceiver. 
     
     
         35 . The television set according to  claim 34 , wherein the WPAN is according to, or based on, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15, Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB), or ZigBee. 
     
     
         36 . The television set according to  claim 30 , wherein: the over-the-air radio frequency communication is communication over a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN); said antenna is a WLAN antenna; and said wireless transceiver is a WLAN transceiver. 
     
     
         37 . The television set according to  claim 36 , wherein the WLAN is according to, or based on, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE802.11b, or IEEE802.11g. 
     
     
         38 . The television set according to  claim 30 , wherein: the over-the-air radio frequency communication is communication over a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN); said antenna is a WWAN antenna; and said wireless transceiver is a WWAN transceiver. 
     
     
         39 . The television set according to  claim 38  wherein: the over-the-air radio frequency communication is a cellular communication; said antenna is a cellular antenna; and said wireless transceiver is a cellular transceiver. 
     
     
         40 . The television set according to  claim 39 , wherein the cellular communication is according to, or based on, GSM (Global Television set for Mobile Communications). GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), 3GSM, DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications), Digital AMPS or iDEN (Integrated Digital Enhanced Network). 
     
     
         41 . The television set according to  claim 30 , wherein: the over-the-air radio frequency communication uses a 60 GHz license-free frequency band and is used for in-room communication. 
     
     
         42 . The television set according to  claim 41 , wherein said in-room network is based on beamforming and supports a data rate of above 7 Gb/s. 
     
     
         43 . The television set according to  claim 42 , wherein said in-building network is according to, or based on, WirelessHD™. 
     
     
         44 . The television set according to  claim 24 , wherein communication over the network medium is based on visible or non-visible light communication. 
     
     
         45 . The television set according to  claim 24 , wherein: the network medium is a cable; said communication port is a connector for connecting to the cable; and said transceiver is a wired transceiver. 
     
     
         46 . The television set according to  claim 45 , wherein: the cable is a Local Area Network (LAN) cable; said connector is a LAN connector; and said wired transceiver is a LAN transceiver. 
     
     
         47 . The television set according to  claim 46 , wherein the network is an Ethernet based LAN, and is according to, or based on, IEEE 802.3-2008 standard. 
     
     
         48 . The television set according to  claim 47 , wherein: the LAN cable is based on twisted-pair copper wire cables; said LAN transceiver is according to, or based on, 10Base-T, 100Base-TX, or 1000Base-T; and said LAN connector is RJ-45 type. 
     
     
         49 . The television set according to  claim 45 , wherein the cable is connectable to simultaneously carry a DC or AC power signal. 
     
     
         50 . The television set according to  claim 49 , wherein said television set is further operative to supply at least part of the power signal. 
     
     
         51 . The television set according to  claim 49 , wherein said television set is further operative to at least in part be powered from the power signal. 
     
     
         52 . The television set according to  claim 49 , wherein the power signal is carried over dedicated wires in the cable, and the wires are distinct from wires in the cable carrying the digital data form of the captured image. 
     
     
         53 . The television set according to  claim 49 , wherein: the power signal and the digital data form of the captured image are carried over the same wires in the cable; said television set further comprises a power/data splitter arrangement having first, second and third ports; only the digital data form of the captured image signal is passed between said first and second ports; only the power signal is passed between said first and third ports; and said first port is coupled to said connector. 
     
     
         54 . The television set according to  claim 53 , wherein the power signal and the digital data form of the captured image are carried using Frequency Division/Domain Multiplexing (FDM), where the digital data form of the captured image signal is carried in a frequency band above, and distinct from, the power signal frequency or frequency band. 
     
     
         55 . The television set according to  claim 54 , wherein said power/data splitter comprises a high pass filter between said first and second ports and a low pass filter between said first and third ports. 
     
     
         56 . The television set according to  claim 55 , wherein said power/data splitter comprises a transformer having windings and a capacitor connected to the transformer windings. 
     
     
         57 . The television set according to  claim 53 , wherein said power signal and digital data form of the captured image are carried according to, or based on, IEEE 802.3af-2003 or IEEE 802.3at-2009 standard. 
     
     
         58 . The television set according to  claim 24 , further comprising an image or video compressor coupled between said digital camera and said transceiver, for compressing the captured image according to a compression scheme. 
     
     
         59 . The television set according to  claim 58 , wherein the compression scheme is lossy or lossless type. 
     
     
         60 . The television set according to  claim 58 , wherein the compression scheme is according to, or based on, JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) or MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) standard. 
     
     
         61 . The television set according to  claim 24 , wherein said flat screen is silicon-based. 
     
     
         62 . The television set according to  claim 61 , wherein said flat screen is LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) based. 
     
     
         63 . The television set according to  claim 24 , wherein said television set is further operative for displaying High Definition (HD), and wherein said television set further comprises an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) for receiving and displaying HD video. 
     
     
         64 . A cellular telephone device for initiating and receiving telephone calls over a cellular network, the device comprising:
 a flat screen for displaying information;   a digital camera for capturing images in digital data form, said digital camera having a center line of sight and being mechanically fixed so that said digital camera is maintained in a fixed position relative to said flat screen;   a cellular antenna for over-the-air radio-frequency communication;   a cellular modem coupled to said cellular antenna for transmitting serial digital data to, or receiving serial digital data from, a cellular network;   software and a processor to execute said software coupled to control said flat screen, said cellular transceiver, and said digital camera; and   a single handheld enclosure housing said flat screen, said digital camera, said processor, said cellular antenna, and said cellular modem,   
       wherein said cellular modem is coupled to said digital camera for transmitting images captured by said digital camera over the cellular network. 
     
     
         65 . The device according to  claim 64 , wherein communication over the cellular network is according to, or based on, GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), 3GSM, DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications), Digital AMPS, or iDEN (Integrated Digital Enhanced Network). 
     
     
         66 . The device according to  claim 64 , wherein, said cellular modem is coupled to said flat screen for receiving and displaying information from the cellular network. 
     
     
         67 . The device according to  claim 64 , further comprising an image processor coupled to receive captured images in digital data form from said digital camera, for applying an element detection algorithm to detect an element in the captured image, and wherein said device responds to the element detection. 
     
     
         68 . The device according to  claim 64 , wherein said digital camera fixed in position relative to said screen and is oriented to capture an image of a scene substantially in front of said screen. 
     
     
         69 . The device according to  claim 64 , wherein said digital camera comprises:
 an optical lens for focusing received light;   a photosensitive image sensor array disposed approximately at an image focal point plane of the optical lens for capturing the image and producing electronic image information representing the image; and   an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter coupled to said image sensor for generating a digital data representation of the image.   
     
     
         70 . The device according to  claim 69 , wherein said image sensor array is based on Charge-Coupled Devices (CCD) or Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) devices. 
     
     
         71 . The device according to  claim 64  further comprising a connector for connecting to a cable and a wired transceiver for transmitting serial digital data to, or receiving serial digital data from, the cable, and wherein the wired transceiver is coupled to said digital camera for transmitting the image over the cable. 
     
     
         72 . The device according to  claim 71 , wherein: the cable is a Local Area Network (LAN) cable; said connector is a LAN connector; and the wired transceiver is a LAN transceiver. 
     
     
         73 . The device according to  claim 72 , wherein the network is an Ethernet based LAN, and is according to, or based on, IEEE 802.3-2008 standard. 
     
     
         74 . The device according to  claim 72 , wherein: the LAN cable is based on twisted-pair copper wire cables; the LAN transceiver is according to, or based on, 10Base-T, 100Base-TX, or 1000Base-T; and said LAN connector is RJ-45 type. 
     
     
         75 . The device according to  claim 71 , wherein the cable is connectable to simultaneously carry a DC or AC power signal. 
     
     
         76 . The device according to  claim 75 , wherein said device is further operative to supply at least part of the power signal. 
     
     
         77 . The device according to  claim 76 , wherein said device is further operative to at least in part be powered from the power signal. 
     
     
         78 . The device according to  claim 75 , wherein: the power signal is carried over dedicated wires in the cable, and the dedicated wires are distinct from wires in the cable carrying the digital data form of the captured image. 
     
     
         79 . The device according to  claim 75 , wherein: the power signal and the digital data form of the captured image are carried over the same wires in the cable; said device further comprises a power/data splitter arrangement having first, second and third ports; only the digital data form of the captured image signal is passed between said first and second ports; only the power signal is passed between said first and third ports; and said first port is coupled to said connector. 
     
     
         80 . The device according to  claim 79 , wherein the power and digital data signals are carried using Frequency Division/Domain Multiplexing (FDM), where the digital data signal is carried in a frequency band above, and distinct from, the power signal frequency or frequency band. 
     
     
         81 . The device according to  claim 80 , wherein said power/data splitter comprises a high pass filter between said first and second ports and a low pass filter between said first and third ports. 
     
     
         82 . The device according to  claim 64 , further comprising an image or video compressor coupled between said digital camera and said cellular modem, for compressing the captured image according to a compression scheme. 
     
     
         83 . The device according to  claim 82 , wherein the compression scheme is lossy or lossless type. 
     
     
         84 . The device according to  claim 83 , wherein the compression scheme is according to, or based on, JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) or MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) standard. 
     
     
         85 . The device according to  claim 64 , wherein said flat screen is silicon-based. 
     
     
         86 . The device according to  claim 85 , wherein said flat screen is LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) based. 
     
     
         87 . The device according to  claim 64 , wherein said device is further operative for displaying High Definition (HD) video, and wherein said device further comprises an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) for receiving and displaying HD video. 
     
     
         88 . A device for detecting an element and responding to the element location in a non-visible image, the device comprising:
 a digital camera for capturing the non-visible image in a digital data form;   an image processor coupled to receive the non-visible image from said digital camera and for executing an element detection algorithm to detect the element in the captured non-visible image and to determine the element location in the non-visible image;   a second processor and firmware or software executable by said second processor, said second processor being coupled to control said image processor and to said digital camera and being operative for generating a control signal in response to the location of the element; and   a single enclosure housing said digital camera, said image processor, and said second processor.   
     
     
         89 . The device according to  claim 88 , wherein the non-visible image is in the infrared or ultraviolet spectrum. 
     
     
         90 . The device according to  claim 88 , wherein the element is a body part. 
     
     
         91 . The device according to  claim 90 , wherein the body part is a human hand or a human face. 
     
     
         92 . The device according to  claim 88 , wherein the element is a hand gesture. 
     
     
         93 . The device according to  claim 92 , wherein the hand gesture includes extending a single finger, extending multiple fingers, or extending all fingers of one hand. 
     
     
         94 . The device according to  claim 88 , further comprising a switch coupled to be actuated by the control signal. 
     
     
         95 . The device according to  claim 94 , wherein said switch is connected between a power source and an apparatus, for powering the apparatus in response to the control signal. 
     
     
         96 . The device according to  claim 95 , wherein the apparatus is external to said single enclosure. 
     
     
         97 . The device according to  claim 88 , wherein said image processor consists of, or comprises, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing an image processing algorithm for detecting the element in the captured non-visible image. 
     
     
         98 . The device according to  claim 88 , further comprising a communication port coupled to said processor for coupling to a network medium; and a transceiver coupled to said communication port for transmitting the control signal to the network medium. 
     
     
         99 . The device according to  claim 98 , wherein said transceiver is further coupled to said digital camera for transmitting the captured image over the network medium. 
     
     
         100 . The device according to  claim 88 , wherein said digital camera comprises:
 an optical lens for focusing received non-visible light, said lens being mechanically oriented to guide the image;   a photosensitive image sensor array disposed at least approximately at an image focal point plane of the optical lens for capturing the image and producing an analog signal representing the image; and   an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter coupled to said image sensor array for converting the analog signal to a digital data representation of the image.   
     
     
         101 . The device according to  claim 100 , wherein said image sensor array is based on Charge-Coupled Devices (CCD) or Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) Devices. 
     
     
         102 . The device according to  claim 88 , wherein the device consists of, is part of, or comprises, a television set operative to receive and display television channels on a screen. 
     
     
         103 . The device according to  claim 88 , wherein the device consists of, is part of, or comprises, a personal computer. 
     
     
         104 . The device according to  claim 88 , wherein the device consists of, is part of, or comprises, a cellular telephone.