Operation detection device and operation detection method

An operation detection method for detecting an object approaching an operator using a sensor that detects a distance from the object to the sensor as a plurality of pixels, the method comprising:

• acquiring distance image data including the plurality of pixels,
• wherein each pixel includes positional information of each point of the object and distance information of the each point from the sensor,
• wherein the plurality of pixels include one first pixel and N second pixels, N being a positive integer,
• wherein distance information of the first pixel corresponds to a shortest distance from the sensor out of distance information of the plurality of pixels, and
• wherein the N second pixels are pixels surrounding the first pixel in the distance image data;
• specifying the first pixel;
• and
• detecting the object, wherein the detecting comprises:
• scanning one of the N second pixels;
• identifying a difference between the shortest distance of the first pixel and a distance of the scanned second pixel;
• identifying a number of the second pixels in case that the identified difference is less than a reference value;
• and
• identifying the first pixel as a pixel indicating a distance between the sensor and the object and detecting the object, when the identified number of the second pixels is greater than a reference number.

An operation detection device for a vehicle for detecting an object approaching an operator, comprising:

• a sensor that detects a distance from the object to the sensor as a plurality of pixels;
• a detector that detects the object;
• a determinator that determines whether or not an operation on the operator by the object detected by the detector has been performed;
• and
• a signal generator generates a control signal when the determinator determines that the operation has been performed and outputs the generated control signal to a device in the vehicle, wherein the device is operated by receiving the control signal from the signal generator,
• wherein the detector is configured to perform the following processes:
• acquiring distance image data including the plurality of pixels,
• wherein each pixel includes positional information of each point of the object and distance information of the each point from the sensor,
• wherein the plurality of pixels include one first pixel and N second pixels, N being a positive integer,
• wherein distance information of the first pixel corresponds to a shortest distance from the sensor out of distance information of the plurality of pixels, and
• wherein the N second pixels are pixels surrounding the first pixel in the distance image data;
• specifying the first pixel;
• and
• detecting the object, wherein the detecting comprises:
• scanning one of the N second pixels;
• identifying a difference between the shortest distance of the first pixel and a distance of the scanned second pixel;
• identifying a number of the second pixels in case that the identified difference is less than a reference value;
• and
• identifying the first pixel as a pixel indicating a distance between the sensor and the object and detecting the object, when the identified number of the second pixels is greater than a reference number.