Interactive cord

• US 10,047,459 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2017
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Starner, Thad Eugene, Sawyer, Karissa A., Priest-Dorman, Greg Ellis
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blair, Kile
• Application Number:
  US15/418,470
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 1/0088 Fabrics having an electronic function
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/009 Cables with built-in connecting points or with predetermined areas for making deviations
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/1865 Sheaths comprising braided non-metallic layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1033 Cables or cables storage, e.g. cable reels cord reels per se H02G11/02; arrangements for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of conductors or cables B65H75/34; extensible conductors or cables, e.g. self-coiling cords H01B7/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H

Abstract

This document describes interactive cords. An interactive cord includes a cable, and fabric cover that covers the cable. The fabric cover includes one or more conductive threads woven into the fabric cover to form one or more capacitive touchpoints which are configured to enable reception of touch input that causes a change in capacitance to the one or more conductive threads. A controller, implemented at the interactive cord or a computing device coupled to the interactive cord, can detect the change in capacitance and trigger one or more functions associated with the one or more capacitive touchpoints. For example, when implemented as a cord for a headset, the controller can control audio to the headset, such as by playing the audio, pausing the audio, adjusting the volume of the audio, skipping ahead in the audio, skipping backwards in the audio, skipping to additional audio, and so forth.

Claims

1. An interactive cord comprising:

a cable; and

a fabric cover that covers the cable, the fabric cover comprising a plurality of conductive threads woven into the fabric cover to form one or more capacitive touchpoints, the plurality of conductive threads comprising at least first and second conductive threads that are positioned substantially parallel to one another at the one or more capacitive touchpoints of the fabric cover and twisted together at non-capacitive-touchpoints areas of the fabric cover, the capacitive touchpoints configured to enable reception of touch input that causes a change in capacitance to the at least first and second conductive threads, the change in capacitance effective to trigger one or more functions associated with the one or more capacitive touchpoints.

2. The interactive cord of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive threads are woven into the fabric cover such that the one or more of the plurality of conductive threads are exposed at the one or more capacitive touchpoints and covered at the non-capacitive-touchpoints areas of the fabric cover.

3. The interactive cord of claim 1, wherein the fabric cover comprises a first set of conductive threads and a second set of conductive threads, the first set of conductive threads woven into the fabric cover such that the first set of conductive threads are exposed at one or more first capacitive touchpoints, and the second set of conductive threads woven into the fabric cover such that the second set of conductive threads are exposed at one or more second capacitive touchpoints.

4. The interactive cord of claim 3, wherein a controller, when coupled to the interactive cord, is configured to distinguish touch input to the one or more first capacitive touchpoints from touch input to the one or more second capacitive touchpoints, the controller implemented at one of the interactive cord or a computing device coupled to the interactive cord.

5. The interactive cord of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive threads comprise one or more first colors, the one or more first colors different than one or more second colors of non-conductive threads woven into the fabric cover.

6. The interactive cord of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive threads are woven into the fabric cover to create one or more tactile capacitive touchpoints.

7. The interactive cord of claim 1, wherein the fabric cover provides RF shielding for the cable of the interactive cord.

8. The interactive cord of claim 1, wherein the interactive cord comprises a cord for ear buds or headphones.

9. The interactive cord of claim 1, wherein the interactive cord comprises a data transfer cord or a power cord.

10. The interactive cord of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of conductive threads comprises a conductive wire and one or more flexible threads, the conductive wire comprising one of a copper wire, a gold wire, an aluminum wire, or a silver wire, and the one or more flexible threads comprising one or more cotton threads, wool threads, silk threads, nylon threads, or polyester threads.

11. The interactive cord of claim 1, wherein the one or more non-capacitive-touchpoint areas of the fabric cover include the at least first and second conductive threads twisted together to enable reception of an additional touch input that causes an equal effect on the capacitance of the at least first and second conductive threads, the equal effect on the capacitance effective to avoid false triggering of the one or more functions.

12. The interactive cord of claim 1, wherein the non-capacitive-touchpoint areas of the fabric cover include non-conductive thread covering the twisted at least first and second conductive threads.

13. A method comprising:

monitoring a capacitance of a plurality of conductive threads woven into an interactive cord of a headset, the plurality of conductive threads woven into the interactive cord to form one or more capacitive touchpoints, a first conductive thread of the plurality of conductive threads positioned substantially parallel to a second conductive thread of the plurality of conductive threads at the one or more capacitive touchpoints, the first conductive thread twisted with the second conductive thread at non-capacitive-touchpoint areas of the fabric cover;

detecting a change in capacitance of the first conductive thread or the second conductive thread;

determining that the change in capacitance corresponds to touch input to the interactive cord; and

controlling audio to the headset based on the touch input.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling audio further comprises initiating a first audio function if the touch input is received at a first capacitive touchpoint, and initiating a second audio function if the touch input is received at a second capacitive touchpoint.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling audio further comprises one or more of playing the audio, pausing the audio, adjusting the volume of the audio, skipping ahead in the audio, skipping backwards in the audio, or skipping to additional audio.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the detecting a change in the capacitance of the first conductive thread or the second conductive thread comprises detecting a change in capacitance between the first conductive thread and the second conductive thread.

17. A system comprising:

an interactive cord comprising a cable and a fabric cover that covers the cable, the fabric cover comprising a first set of conductive threads braided around the cable in a first direction and a second set of conductive threads braided around the cable in a second direction that crosses the first direction, the first set of conductive threads including a first conductive thread and a second conductive thread, the first conductive thread being substantially parallel with the second conductive thread at one or more capacitive touchpoints of the fabric cover and twisted with the second conductive thread at one or more non-capacitive-touchpoint areas of the fabric cover; and

a controller coupled to the interactive cord, the controller configured to detect touch input to the one or more capacitive touchpoints of the fabric cover, and to initiate one or more functions based on the touch input.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to detect the touch input to the one or more capacitive touchpoints of the fabric cover by detecting a change in capacitance of each of the first conductive thread and the second conductive thread.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the first direction comprises an “

S”

direction, and wherein the second direction comprises a “

Z”

direction.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first set of conductive threads and the second set of conductive threads are woven into the fabric cover such that the first conductive thread and the second conductive thread are exposed at the one or more capacitive touchpoints and covered at the non-capacitive-touchpoint areas of the fabric cover.