Recognition apparatus, method, and computer program product

Abstract

In an embodiment, a recognition apparatus includes: an obtaining unit configured to obtain positions of a specific part in a coordinate system having a first axis to an n-th axis (n≧2); a calculating unit configured to calculate a movement vector of the specific part; a principal axis selecting unit configured to select a principal axis; a turning point setting unit configured to set a position at which there is a change in the principal axis, and set a position at which there is a change; a section setting unit configured to set a determination target section, and set a previous section; a determining unit configured to calculate an evaluation value of the determination target section and an evaluation value of the immediately previous section and, determine which of the first axis to the n-th axis is advantageous; and a presenting unit configured to perform the determined result.

1 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A recognition apparatus comprising:
 an obtaining unit configured to obtain, in chronological order, positions of a specific part of a photographic subject that are represented in a coordinate system having a first axis to an n-th axis (n≧2);   a calculating unit configured to calculate a movement vector of the specific part at each of the positions obtained in chronological order;   a principal axis selecting unit configured to
 calculate, for each of movement vectors that has been calculated, a first inner product that is an inner product of the movement vector and the first axis to an n-th inner product that is an inner product of the movement vector and the n-th axis, and 
 select, as a principal axis, an axis that is used in calculating the inner product, from among the first inner product to the n-th inner product, having the greatest modulus; 
   a turning point setting unit configured to
 set a position at which there is a change in the principal axis as a principal axis turning point and a direction turning point, and 
 set a position at which there is a change in the direction of any of the movement vectors in the principal axis component as the direction turning point; 
   a section setting unit configured to
 set a determination target section, in which a start point is either set to the latest principal axis turning point when principal axis turning points are present or set to an initial point indicating the initially-obtained position when the principal axis turning points are absent, and in which an end point is set to a latest point that indicates the most-recently obtained position, 
 set a previous section, in which an end point is set to the start point of the determination target section and in which a start point is either set to a direction turning point present immediately before the end point when the direction turning points are present before the end point or set to the initial point when the direction turning points are not present immediately before the end point; 
   a determining unit configured to
 calculate an evaluation value of the determination target section and an evaluation value of the immediately previous section and, 
 based on the evaluation value of the determination target section and the evaluation value of the previous section, determine which of the first axis to the n-th axis is advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section; and 
   a presenting unit configured to perform presentation according to a determination result obtained by the determining unit, wherein   the section setting unit
 updates the end point of the determination target section either
 to the principal axis turning point that is present immediately after the start point of the determination target section when the principal axis turning points are present subsequent to the start point but before the elapse of a predetermined time period since the setting of the start point, or 
 to a latest point that is present after the elapse of a predetermined time period, when no principal axis turning point is present subsequent to the start point but before the elapse of the predetermined time period, and 
 
 sets a subsequent section,
 in which a start point is set to the end point of an updated determination target section and 
 in which an end point is either set to the direction turning point that is present immediately after the start point when the direction turning points are present subsequent to the start point or set to a latest point that is present after the elapse of the predetermined time period when latest points are present subsequent to the start point, and 
 
   the determining unit further calculates an evaluation value of the subsequent section and further determines which of the first axis to the n-th axis is advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section based on the evaluation value of the subsequent section.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus according to  claim 21 , wherein
 when the evaluation value of the determination target section is exceeding the evaluation value of the previous section or when the previous section is not present, when the evaluation value of the determination target section is exceeding the evaluation value of the subsequent section or when the subsequent section is not present, the determining unit determines that the principal axis in the determination target section is advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section,   when the evaluation value of the determination target section is equal to or smaller than the evaluation value of the previous section, the determining unit determines that the principal axis in the previous section is advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section, and   when the evaluation value of the determination target section is equal to or smaller than the evaluation value of the subsequent section, the determining unit determines that the principal axis in the subsequent section is advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section.   
     
     
         23 . The apparatus according to  claim 21 , wherein
 the determining unit performs sequential determination, within the predetermined time period, of an axis advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section, and   the presenting unit further performs supplementary presentation within the predetermined time period according to a determination result obtained by the determining unit.   
     
     
         24 . The apparatus according to  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a first axis determining unit to an n-th axis determining unit configured to respectively determine an advantageous direction along the first axis to the n-th axis by referring to the movement vectors that are calculated; and   a determination result selecting unit configured to select, from determination results regarding the first axis to the n-th axis, a determination result regarding an axis that is determined by the determining unit to be advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section, wherein   the presenting unit performs presentation according to a selection result obtained by the determination result selecting unit.   
     
     
         25 . The apparatus according to  claim 24 , wherein
 each of the first axis determining unit to the n-th axis determining unit further calculates a progress rate of corresponding determination result regarding the first axis to the n-th axis,   when the progress rate of a determination result of any one axis from among the first axis to the n-th axis is within a predetermined progress rate and when the any one axis is determined by the determining unit to be advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section, the determination result selecting unit keeps on selecting the determination result and the progress rate until the progress rate represents a progress rate that finalizes the determination result and until the any one axis is finalized as an axis determined by the determining unit to be advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section, and   while the determination result selecting unit keeps on selecting the determination result, the presenting unit further performs supplementary presentation according to the selection result.   
     
     
         26 . A recognition apparatus comprising:
 an obtaining unit configured to obtain, in chronological order, positions of a specific part of a photographic subject that are represented in a coordinate system having a first axis to an n-th axis (n≦2);   a calculating unit configured to calculate a movement vector of the specific part at each of the positions obtained in chronological order;   a principal axis selecting unit configured to
 calculate, for each of the movement vectors that has been calculated, a first inner product that is the inner product of the movement vector and the first axis to an n-th inner product that is the inner product of the movement vector and the n-th axis, and 
 select, as a principal axis, an axis that is used in calculating the inner product, from among the first inner product to the n-th inner product, having the greatest modulus; 
   a turning point setting unit configured to
 set a position at which there is a change in the principal axis as a principal axis turning point and a direction turning point, and 
 set a position at which there is a change in the direction of any of the movement vectors in the principal axis component as the direction turning point; 
   a section setting unit configured to
 set a determination target section, in which a start point is either set to the latest principal axis turning point when principal axis turning points are present or set to an initial point indicating the initially-obtained position when the principal axis turning points are absent, and in which an end point is set to the principal axis turning point present immediately after the start point of the determination target section, when the principal axis turning points are present subsequent to the start point but before the elapse of a predetermined time period since the setting of the start point, or set to a latest point present after the elapse of a predetermined time period, when no principal axis turning point is present subsequent to the start point but before the elapse of the predetermined time period, and 
 set a subsequent section, in which a start point is set to the end point of the determination target section and in which an end point is either set to the direction turning point present immediately after the start point when the direction turning points are present subsequent to the start point or set to the latest point when the latest point is present subsequent to the start point; 
   a determining unit configured to
 calculate an evaluation value of the determination target section and an evaluation value of the subsequent section and, 
 based on the evaluation value of the determination target section and the evaluation value of the subsequent section, determine which of the first axis to the n-th axis is advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section; 
   a first axis determining unit to an n-th axis determining unit configured to respectively determine an advantageous direction along the first axis to the n-th axis by referring to movement vectors that are calculated;   a determination result selecting unit configured to select, from determination results regarding the first axis to the n-th axis, a determination result regarding an axis that is determined by the determining unit to be advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section, and   a presenting unit configured to perform presentation according to a selection result obtained by the determination result selecting unit.   
     
     
         27 . The apparatus according to  claim 26 , wherein
 each of the first axis determining unit to the n-th axis determining unit further calculates a progress rate of corresponding determination result regarding the first axis to the n-th axis,   when the progress rate of a determination result of any one axis from among the first axis to the n-th axis is within a predetermined progress rate and when the any one axis is determined by the determining unit to be advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section, the determination result selecting unit keeps on selecting the determination result and the progress rate until the progress rate represents a progress rate that finalizes the determination result and until the any one axis is finalized as an axis determined by the determining unit to be advantageous for movement of the specific part in the determination target section, and   while the determination result selecting unit keeps on selecting the determination result, the presenting unit further performs supplementary presentation according to the selection result.