Abstract:
Provided is a gesture-based user interface method and apparatus to improve convenience in manipulation of the gesture-based user interface. The gesture-based user interface method includes detecting an input position, determining at least one gesture that can be input in the detected position, and displaying at least one guide corresponding to the determined at least one gesture on a screen.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-0121784, filed on Dec. 4, 2006, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    Methods and apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to a user interface, and more particularly, to a gesture-based user interface method and apparatus to improve convenience in manipulation of the user interface. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    A gesture-based interface generally provides a guide for gestures that have to be input by a user through a metaphor used in a user interface or a help item. With this type of guide, however, inexperienced users may repeat mistakes while manipulating a gesture-based user interface until they memorize the gestures. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention provides a gesture-based user interface method and apparatus to make it easier for users to use a gesture-based user interface, and a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for implementing the gesture-based user interface method. 
         [0007]    According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gesture-based user interface method including detecting an input position, determining at least one gesture that can be input in the detected position, and displaying at least one guide corresponding to the determined at least one gesture on a screen. 
         [0008]    The detection of the input position may include detecting a position touched using a touch-based input device at predetermined time intervals. 
         [0009]    The gesture-based user interface method may further include virtually dividing the screen into at least one region and assigning at least one gesture that can be input to each of the at least one region. 
         [0010]    The displaying of the at least one guide on the screen may include determining at least one image introducing the determined at least one gesture as guides to be displayed on the screen. 
         [0011]    The gesture-based user interface method may further include changing the at least guides displayed on the screen according to a change of the input position. 
         [0012]    The gesture-based user interface method may further include removing the displayed at least one guide from the screen if the input position is not further detected. 
         [0013]    According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gesture-based user interface apparatus including a gesture input unit, a gesture processing unit, and a central processing unit. The gesture input unit detects an input position. The gesture processing unit determines at least one gesture that can be input in the detected position. The central processing unit reads at least one guide corresponding to the determined at least one gesture from a storing unit and displaying the read guides on a screen. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The above and other features and aspects of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a gesture-based user interface apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a gesture-based user interface method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a gesture-based user interface method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  illustrates a relationship between guide images and gestures according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a screen that is virtually divided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  illustrates another example of a screen that is virtually divided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  illustrates an example of a guide image displayed on a screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  illustrates another example of a guide image displayed on a screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  illustrates an example of two guide images displayed on a screen according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 10  illustrates another example of a guide image displayed on a screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 11  illustrates an example of a guide image changed according to a change in an input position in the screen illustrated in  FIG. 10 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0026]    Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0027]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a gesture-based user interface apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a gesture-based user interface apparatus includes a gesture input unit  101  for inputting a gesture from a user, a storing unit  103 , a display unit  106 , a gesture processing unit  102  for recognizing a gesture input through the gesture input unit  101  so as to determine an operation corresponding to the gesture and predicting a gesture that can be input or is valid in an input position detected by the gesture input unit  101 , and a central processing unit  105  for performing the operation determined by the gesture input unit  101  and reading a guide image  104  corresponding to the predicted gesture from the storing unit  103  so as to display the guide image  104  on the display unit  106 . Details of these components will be described with reference to  FIGS. 2 through 11 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a gesture-based user interface method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the gesture input unit  101  detects a user&#39;s input position if there is an input from a user in operation  202 . The gesture input unit  101  may be, without being limited to, a touch-based input device such as a touch screen or a touch pad for detecting a user&#39;s touch position at predetermined time intervals, but may also be other types of input devices such as mouse devices. The gesture processing unit  102  determines a gesture that can be input in the detected input position in operation  204 . In other words, if the user starts a gesture input operation, the gesture processing unit  102  predicts a gesture intended by the user based on the user&#39;s input position. The central processing unit  105  overlays a guide introducing the gesture predicted by the gesture processing unit  102  on the display unit  106 . The guide may be displayed in the form of an image and is read from the storing unit  103  that stores the guide images  104  corresponding to gestures. 
         [0031]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a gesture-based user interface method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which a touch screen is used as the gesture input unit  101 . 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the gesture input unit  101  detects coordinates touched by a user&#39;s finger or stylus. These coordinates will be referred to hereinafter as touch coordinates, in operation  302 . When the user first touches the touch screen, the gesture processing unit  102  determines a gesture that is available in an area including the touch coordinates. The central processing unit  105  selects a guide for the determined gesture in operation  304 . An image corresponding to the selected guide, which will be referred to hereinafter as a guide image, is displayed around the touch coordinates in operation  306 . Once the user moves while in touch with the screen, i.e., the user drags the finger or stylus, in order to change the touch coordinates in operation  308 , the gesture input unit  101  continues detecting the changed touch coordinates in operation  310 . The central processing unit  105  also changes the guide image according to the moved touch coordinates and displays the changed guide image on the screen in operation  312 . If the user moves the finger or stylus off from the screen and thus no touch coordinates are further detected, the guide image is removed from the screen in operation  314 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  illustrates a relationship between guide images and gestures according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which gestures that can be input and guide images that can be displayed for the gestures are illustrated. 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , if a gesture “rotating clockwise” is predicted, a clockwise rotation image  402  corresponding to the predicted gesture is displayed. If a gesture “rotating counterclockwise” is predicted, a counterclockwise rotation image  404  is displayed. If a gesture “forming a straight line to the right” is predicted, a right-oriented arrow image  406  is displayed. If a gesture “forming a straight line to the left” is predicted, a left-oriented arrow image  408  is displayed. If a gesture “forming a straight line upwards” is predicted, an upward arrow image  410  is displayed. If a gesture “forming a straight line downwards” is predicted, a downward arrow image  412  is displayed. These gestures may implement an upward scroll function, a downward scroll function, an enter function, a back function, a volume-up function, and a volume-down function. However, these gestures and guide images and functions corresponding thereto are only examples and may vary with exemplary embodiments as is obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0035]    According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in order to determine a gesture that can be input by the user according to the detected input position, the gesture processing unit  102  may virtually divide the screen into at least one region and assign available gestures to the regions. In other words, it is determined in which region coordinates that are first touched by the user for performing a gesture input operation are included and a guide corresponding to a gesture that is predicted as being available in the determined region is displayed around the touch coordinates. 
         [0036]      FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a screen that is virtually divided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , the screen is divided into first through third regions  501  through  503 . A valid gesture and a guide image corresponding thereto are assigned to each of the first through third regions  501  through  503 . For example, the gesture “forming a straight line to the right” may be assigned to the first region  501 , and the right-oriented arrow image  406  may be displayed as a guide for a gesture input when the user first touches the first region  501  for performing—a gesture input operation. The gesture “rotating” may be assigned to the second region  502 , and the clockwise rotation image  402  or the counterclockwise rotation image  404  as a guide for a gesture input may be displayed when the user first touches the second region  502  for the gesture input operation. Optionally, after a circular image having no directivity is displayed as a guide, the guide image may be updated with the clockwise rotation image  402  or the counterclockwise rotation image  404  according to a user&#39;s dragging direction. The gesture “forming a straight line to the left” may be assigned to the third region  503 , and the left-oriented arrow image  408  may be displayed when the user first touches the third region  503  for performing the gesture input. 
         [0038]      FIG. 6  illustrates another example of a screen that is virtually divided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0039]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , the screen is divided into first through eighth regions  601  through  608 . A valid gesture and a guide image corresponding thereto are assigned to each of the first through eighth regions  601  through  608 . For example, the gesture “forming a straight line downwards” and the downward arrow image  412  may be assigned to the first region  601 ; the gesture “forming a straight line to the right” and the right-oriented arrow image  406  may be assigned to the second region  602 ; the gesture “forming a straight line upwards” and the upward arrow image  410  may be assigned to the third region  603 ; the gesture “rotating counterclockwise” and the counterclockwise rotation image  404  may be assigned to the fourth region  604 ; the gesture “rotating clockwise” and the clockwise rotation image  402  may be assigned to the fifth region  605 ; the gesture “forming a straight line to the left” and the left-oriented arrow image  412  may be assigned to the sixth region  606 ; the gesture “forming a straight line to the left” and the left-oriented arrow image  408  may be assigned to the seventh region  607 ; and the gesture “forming a straight line upwards” and the upward arrow image  410  may be assigned to the eighth region  608 . 
         [0040]      FIGS. 7 through 11  illustrate the application of exemplary embodiments of the present invention to contents searching of a mobile device. 
         [0041]      FIG. 7  illustrates an example of a guide image displayed on a screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which the screen is virtually divided into the first through third regions  501  through  503  as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . Since a position  701  input or touched by the user corresponds to the second region  502 , a guide image  702  corresponding to a scroll function is displayed. The user can easily input a gesture by referring to the displayed guide image  702 . In the current exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a guide also indicates that a function corresponding to the gesture “rotating clockwise” is “SCROLL” and thus users can immediately check if they have correctly input their desired gesture. 
         [0042]      FIG. 8  illustrates another example of a guide image displayed on a screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which a position  801  corresponding to the third region  503  illustrated in  FIG. 5  is touched. In this case, a guide image  802  introducing the gesture “forming a straight line to the left” is displayed. 
         [0043]    A plurality of gestures may also be assigned to a single region. In this case, a plurality of guide images is assigned to the single region.  FIG. 9  illustrates an example of two guide images displayed on a screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which two gestures “forming a straight line to the left” and “forming a straight line upwards” are assigned to a region including a first touch position  901 . In this case, two guide images  902  and  903  are displayed upon user&#39;s touch of the position  901 . Thus, the user can select a gesture corresponding to a desired function and input the gesture according to a guide image corresponding to the selected gesture. 
         [0044]      FIG. 10  illustrates another example of a guide image displayed on a screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. If the user first touches a first position  1001  included in the center of the screen, a jog-shuttle controller guide image  1002  corresponding to the gesture “rotating” and the scroll function is overlaid on a screen showing a contents list. The guide image  1002  includes an image  1003  indicating the amount of rotation of the jog-shuttle controller. 
         [0045]      FIG. 11  illustrates an example of a guide image changed according to a change in an input position in the screen illustrated in  FIG. 10 . Once the user drags from the first position  1001  to a second position  1102 , the jog shuttle controller also rotates and the position of an image  1003  indicating the amount of rotation is also changed. 
         [0046]    The gesture-based user interface method according to the present invention can be embodied, for example, as code that is readable by a computer on a computer-readable recording medium. 
         [0047]    As described above, according to an aspect of the present invention, a guide for an available gesture is displayed on a screen when a user starts a gesture input operation, thereby making it easier for the user to be familiar with a gesture-based user interface. 
         [0048]    While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.