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SamsungGranted patentAI & softwareInterest 6/10

Samsung patents hand tracking that adjusts when fingers are hidden

This patent describes a method for electronic devices to estimate the position of hand landmarks, such as fingers, even when parts of the hand are blocked from view. The system first uses a simple neural network to get a rough guess, then calculates how much of the hand is hidden and adjusts the final position estimate based on that occlusion.

Why it mattersThis technology could improve the accuracy of hand-tracking features in smartphones, AR headsets, or gaming controllers by reducing errors when fingers overlap or are partially covered.

In the filing’s own words

A method performed by an electronic device for estimating a landmark point of a body part of subject by electronic device is provided. The method includes generating, by the electronic device, an initial coarse estimation of the landmark point of the body part using a light-weight deep neural network, determining, by the electronic device, an occluded region of the body part based on the generated initial coarse estimation of the landmark point using a segmentation mask, estimating, by the electronic device, the occlusion probability for the landmark point in the at least one occluded region and the generated initial coarse estimation, determining, by the electronic device, a correction factor for applying on the generated initial coarse estimation as a measure of the estimated occlusion probability, and selecting, by the electronic device, a pre-defined number of neural networks by applying the determined correction factor for processing the at least one occluded region and the generated initial coarse estimation to generate final estimation of the landmark point.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method performed by an electronic device for estimating at least one landmark point of a body part of a subject, the method comprising: generating, by the electronic device, an initial coarse estimation of the at least one landmark point of the body part using a light-weight deep neural network; determining, by the electronic device, at least one occluded region of the body part based on the generated initial coarse estimation of the at least one landmark point using a segmentation mask; estimating, by the electronic device, an occlusion probability for the at least one landmark point in the at least one occluded region and the generated initial coarse estimation; determining, by the electronic device, a correction factor for applying on the generated initial coarse estimation as a measure of the estimated occlusion probability; and selecting, by the electronic device, a pre-defined number of neural networks by applying the determined correction factor, for processing the at least one occluded region and the generated initial coarse estimation to generate final estimation of the at least one landmark point.

Facts

Company
Samsung (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.)
Official title
Computationally adaptive occlusion aware hand landmark estimation
Patent number
US12731366B2
Application number
18671412
Filed
May 22, 2024
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Inventors
7
Claims
20

Classified under

G06V 10/273 Physics & computingG06V 10/82 Physics & computingG06V 40/11 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.