Patent ID: 8351651

Claim:
A processor-implemented method for tracking user movement in a motion capture system, comprising the processor-implemented steps of: tracking a user's hand in a field of view of the motion capture system over time, including obtaining a 3-D depth image of the hand at different points in time; and for a point in time: obtaining an initial estimate of a location of the hand in the field of view based on the tracking; determining a difference of the initial estimate relative to a corresponding estimate of a prior point in time; determining if the difference is less than a threshold; if the difference is less than the threshold, providing a current estimate of the location by changing the initial estimate by an amount which is less than the difference; and if the difference is not less than the threshold, providing a current estimate of the location substantially as the initial estimate; based on the current estimate, defining a volume in the field of view; searching the 3-D depth image in the volume to determine a new estimate of a location of the hand in the field of view; and providing a control input to an application which represents the hand in the field of view based, at least in part, on the new estimate of the location, or a value derived from the new estimate of the location.