Remote control device and apparatus controlling system

• US 10,083,601 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2016
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Minebea Mitsumi, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Minebea Company Limited (MinebeaMitsumi Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Yoshihiro, Nishibori, Kohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Edun, Muhammad N
• Application Number:
  US15/226,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20170038043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A remote control device includes: a detector that detects a time-dependent change of a position of a recognition target object; a motion recognition unit that recognizes a gesture corresponding to the time-dependent change of the position of the recognition target object detected by the detector; a controller that generates a control signal based on the gesture recognized by the motion recognition unit; and a transmitter that transmits the control signal to an apparatus having a drivable portion to command a movement of the drivable portion.

Claims

1. A remote control device comprising:

a detector that detects a time-dependent change of a position of a recognition target object;

a motion recognition unit that recognizes a gesture corresponding to the time-dependent change of the position of the recognition target object detected by the detector;

a controller that generates a control signal based on the gesture recognized by the motion recognition unit; and

a transmitter that transmits the control signal to an apparatus having a drivable portion to command a movement of the drivable portion,

wherein the controller generates a first control signal based on the gesture recognized by the motion recognition unit, the first control signal instructing the apparatus to move the drivable portion by a predetermined movement amount in a preset direction,

wherein the controller generates a second control signal when the same gesture is recognized again by the motion recognition unit within a predetermined time period after the gesture is recognized by the motion recognition unit, the second control signal instructing the apparatus to move the drivable portion to a maximum movable range of the drivable portion in the preset direction.

2. The remote control device according to claim 1,

wherein the controller generates a third control signal when the same gesture or a predetermined gesture is recognized again by the motion recognition unit after the second control signal is generated, the third control signal instructing the apparatus to stop moving the drivable portion.

3. The remote control device according to claim 1,

wherein the detector is a non-contact or contact position sensor including a capacitance sensor.

4. The remote control device according to claim 1,

wherein the detector detects a distance between a detection surface and the recognition target object, and

wherein the controller recognizes the gesture based on the distance detected by the detector.

5. The remote control device according to claim 1,

wherein the detector detects a speed of movement of the recognition target object, and

wherein the controller recognizes the gesture based on the speed of movement of the recognition target object detected by the detector.

6. An apparatus controlling system comprising:

an apparatus having a drivable portion; and

a remote controller for controlling a movement of the drivable portion,

wherein the remote controller includes;

a detector that detects a time-dependent change of a position of a recognition target object;

a motion recognition unit that recognizes a gesture corresponding to the time-dependent change of the position of the recognition target object detected by the detector;

a controller that generates a control signal based on the gesture recognized by the motion recognition unit; and

a transmitter that transmits the control signal to the apparatus to command the movement of the drivable portion,

wherein the controller generates a first control signal based on the gesture recognized by the motion recognition unit, the first control signal instructing the apparatus to move the drivable portion by a predetermined movement amount in a preset direction, and

wherein the controller generates a second control signal when the same gesture is recognized again by the motion recognition unit within a predetermined time period after the gesture is recognized by the motion recognition unit, the second control signal instructing the apparatus to move the drivable portion to a maximum movable range of the drivable portion in the preset direction.

7. The apparatus controlling system according to claim 6,

wherein the apparatus is a lighting equipment.