Method and system with sensors for sensing hand or finger positions for adjustable control

• US 10,088,915 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2016
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Drum, Jonathan E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reed, Stephen T
• Application Number:
  US15/200,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20180004310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/04 Controlling members for hand actuation by pivoting movement, e.g. levers
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04774 with additional switches or sensors on the handle
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/047 the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks for switches H01H25/04
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks

Abstract

A handle is adapted to receive one or more fingers or a portion of the hand. A set of sensors is mounted on or near the surface of the handle. Each sensor associated with a different region of the handle. A detector is arranged to detect contact of one or more of the sensors, by one or more fingers or a portion of a hand, to generate an observed touch-point map for the handle for a respective sampling interval. A controller can generate a gain or control response ratio in the electrical signals outputted in response to the observed touch-point map matching or being substantially similar to a reference touch-point map, where the electrical signals are derived from movement or displacement of the handle by a user.

Claims

1. A device for converting hand or finger positions or movements into electrical signals, the device comprising:

a handle for receiving one or more fingers or a portion of a hand;

a handle displacement sensor for producing an electrical signal in response to movement or displacement of the handle;

a set of tactile sensors on or near the surface of the handle, each tactile sensor associated with a different region of the handle;

a detector for detecting contact of one or more of the tactile sensors to generate an observed touch-point map for the handle for a respective sampling interval;

an electronic data processor for generating a gain or control response ratio in the electrical signal outputted by the device in response to the observed touch-point map matching or being substantially similar to a reference touch-point map among a plurality of reference touch-point maps, and

an electrohydraulic valve is controlled based on the gain or the control response ratio to increase hydraulic flow to a first flow level that is higher than a second flow level if the data processor identifies a hand grip of the handle as an applicable gesture for the sampling interval that is associated with coarse control of an implement controlled by the electrohydraulic valve;

wherein each reference touch-point map is associated with a respective gain or respective control response ratio that is stored in a data storage device, the control response ratio adjusting the sensitivity of the electrical signal to movement or displacement of the handle.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein the reference touch point map is stored in the data storage device along with a plurality of other reference touch-point maps and wherein the data processer searches candidate reference touch-point maps in the data storage device for the reference touch point map that matches or is substantially similar to the observed touch-point map.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the reference touch-point map is associated with a grip type of one or more fingers or a portion of the hand on the handle, and wherein the grip type is selected from the group comprising one or more of the following:

a hand grip, a finger grip, a full grip, a base grip, an open palm grip, a fingertip grip, a hand grip with closed fist, a hand grip with open hand, a finger grip with side handling, and a finger grip with top handling.

4. The device according to claim 1 wherein a grip comprises one or more fingers or a portion of the hand on the handle, and wherein the grip is identified if the observed touch point map sufficiently matches, corresponds or correlates to the reference touch-point map based on meeting or exceeding certain threshold percentage match for the observed touch-point map and the reference touch point map for the identified grip.

5. The device according to claim 4 where each don'"'"'t-care state is associated with a contact or no contact of a respective tactile sensor and where each don'"'"'t care state for a reference touch-point map is excluded from determination of the threshold percentage.

6. The device according to claim 1 wherein the handle comprises a joy stick that produces the electrical signal based on movement or displacement of the handle with respect to the a reference coordinate system.

7. The device according to claim 6 wherein the reference coordinate system comprises coordinates in the X-Y plane of a Cartesian coordinate system.

8. The device according to claim 1 further comprising:

an actuator controlled based on the gain or the control response ratio if the electronic data processor identifies a respective hand grip of the handle as an applicable gesture for the sampling interval.

9. The device according to claim 1 further comprising:

the electrohydraulic valve is controlled based on the gain or the control response ratio to decrease hydraulic flow to a second flow level that is lower than a first flow level if the electronic data processor identifies a finger grip of the handle as an applicable gesture for the sampling interval that is associated with fine control of an implement controlled by the electrohydraulic valve.

10. The device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a timer associated with the data processor to determine if the handle is not contacted by a user'"'"'s hand or fingers for a minimum threshold period;

a user interface coupled to the data processor; and

the data processor generating an alert to the user interface if the handle is not contacted by a user'"'"'s hand or fingers for a minimum threshold period.

11. The device according to claim 1 wherein the set of tactile sensors comprises a set of capacitive sensors.

12. A method for converting hand or finger positions or movements into electrical signals, the method comprising:

receiving one or more fingers or a portion of the hand on a handle;

producing an electrical signal in response to movement or displacement of the handle;

providing a set of tactile sensors on or near the surface of the handle, each sensor associated with a different region of the handle;

detecting contact of one or more of the tactile sensors to generate an observed touch-point map for the handle for a respective sampling interval;

determining a gain or control response ratio in the electrical signal outputted by the method in response to the observed touch-point map matching or being substantially similar to a reference touch-point map among a plurality of reference touch-point maps, and

controlling an electrohydraulic valve based on the gain to increase hydraulic flow to a first flow level that is higher than a second flow level if the controller identifies a hand grip of the handle as an applicable gesture for the sampling interval that is associated with coarse control of an implement controlled by the electrohydraulic valve,

wherein each reference touch-point map is associated with a respective gain or respective control response ratio that is stored in a data storage device, the control response ratio adjusting the sensitivity of the electrical signal to movement or displacement of the handle.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:

storing the reference touch-point map in the data storage device along with a plurality of other reference touch-point maps; and

searching candidate reference touch-point maps in the data storage device for the reference touch point map that matches or is substantially similar to the observed touch-point map.

14. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:

associating the reference touch-point map with a grip type selected from a group comprising one or more of the following;

a hand grip, a finger grip, a full grip, a base grip, an open palm grip, a fingertip grip, a hand grip with closed fist, a hand grip with open hand, a finger grip with side handling, and a finger grip with top handling.

15. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:

identifying a user'"'"'s grip of the handle if the observed touch point map sufficiently matches, corresponds or correlates to the reference touch-point map based on meeting or exceeding certain threshold percentage match for the observed touch-point map and the reference touch point map for an identified grip.

16. The method according to claim 15 further comprising:

excluding each don'"'"'t-care state in the reference touch-point map from a determination of the threshold percentage, where each don'"'"'t care state is associated with a contact or no contact of a respective tactile sensor.

17. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:

controlling an actuator based on the gain or the control response ratio if the controller identifies a respective hand grip of the handle as an applicable gesture for the sampling interval.

18. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:

controlling the electrohydraulic valve based on the gain or control response ratio to decrease hydraulic flow to a second flow level that is lower than a first flow level if the controller identifies a finger grip of the handle as an applicable gesture for the sampling interval that is associated with fine control of an implement controlled by the electrohydraulic valve.

19. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:

determining if the handle is not contacted by a user'"'"'s hand or fingers for a minimum threshold period;

generating an alert to a user interface if the handle is not contacted by a user'"'"'s hand or fingers for a minimum threshold period.