Electronic controller with hand retainer and finger motion sensing

• US 10,391,400 B1
• Filed: 08/17/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valve Corporation
• Original Assignee: Valve Corporation
• Inventors: Mucha, Jeffrey Walter, Leinbaugh, Jeffrey George, Hope, Eric James, Bryan, Philip, Britt, Scott Richard, Nietfeld, Scott, Gottschalk, Claire Michelle, Slocum, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Yoo, Jasson H
• Application Number:
  US15/679,521
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/98 Accessories, i.e. detachable arrangements optional for the use of the video game device, e.g. grip supports of game controllers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2407 Joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

A controller for an electronic system includes a controller body having a handle portion, a tracking arc that is fixed to the controller body, and a hand retainer configured to physically bias a user'"'"'s palm against an outside surface of the handle portion. A plurality of tracking sensors is disposed in the tracking arc, and are responsive to electromagnetic radiation emitted by the electronic system. An array of proximity sensors are spatially distributed around the outer surface of the handle portion, and are responsive to a proximity of the user'"'"'s fingers to the outside surface of the handle portion.

Claims

1. A controller for an electronic system, for operation by a user having a hand with fingers and a palm, the controller comprising:

a controller body having a handle portion with an outside surface;

a tracking arc that is fixed to the controller body;

a hand retainer configured to physically bias the palm against the outside surface;

a first plurality of tracking sensors disposed in the tracking arc, the first plurality of tracking sensors being responsive to electromagnetic radiation emitted by the electronic system; and

an array of proximity sensors that are spatially distributed around the outside surface of the handle portion, the array of proximity sensors being responsive to a proximity of the fingers to the outside surface of the handle portion.

2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the electronic system is a virtual reality system.

3. The controller of claim 1, wherein the tracking arc is fixed to the controller body by being joined to the controller body at two locations, and the hand retainer biases the palm against the outside surface of the handle portion between the two locations.

4. The controller of claim 3, wherein the hand retainer comprises a hand-retention strap.

5. The controller of claim 4, wherein the hand-retention strap is attached to the controller body adjacent the two locations.

6. The controller of claim 5, wherein the hand-retention strap is disposed between the handle portion and the tracking arc.

7. The controller of claim 4, wherein the hand-retention strap is adjustable in length and is configured to contact a back of the hand.

8. The controller of claim 7, wherein the hand-retention strap includes a cord that is cinched by a spring-biased chock.

9. The controller of claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the hand-retention strap includes a cushioning sheath enveloping an internal curved resilient member.

10. The controller of claim 4, wherein the controller includes a rechargeable battery disposed within the controller body, and the hand retention strap includes an electrically-conductive charging wire that is electrically coupled to the rechargeable battery.

11. The controller of claim 1, wherein the controller body further comprises a distal head that extends from the handle portion, the distal head including a distal end, and at least one thumb-operated control disposed between the handle portion and the distal end.

12. The controller of claim 11, further comprising a radio frequency (RF) transmitter that is responsive to the thumb-operated control.

13. The controller of claim 11, further comprising a second plurality of tracking sensors disposed in the controller body, the second plurality of tracking sensors including at least one distal tracking sensor that is disposed adjacent the distal end.

14. The controller of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of tracking sensors are infrared (IR) light sensors that are responsive to pulsed IR light emitted by the electronic system.

15. The controller of claim 14, wherein each of the IR light sensors is covered by IR-transmissive polycarbonate plastic.

16. The controller of claim 14, wherein the tracking arc and the controller body comprise an IR-transmissive plastic, with an outer IR-opaque coating, the outer IR-opaque coating including openings over locations of the IR light sensors.

17. The controller of claim 1, wherein the tracking arc includes two noses, each protruding from a corresponding one of two opposing distal ends of the tracking arc, each nose including at least one of the first plurality of tracking sensors.

18. The controller of claim 1, wherein the array of proximity sensors is a plurality of capacitive sensors embedded under the outside surface of the handle portion, the outside surface comprising an electrically insulative material.

19. The controller of claim 1, wherein the tracking arc and the controller body comprise an integral monolithic component having material continuity, rather than being assembled together.

20. The controller of claim 1, wherein the hand retainer includes a curved resilient member.

21. The controller of claim 20, wherein the curved resilient member is a metal strip.

22. A controller for an electronic system, for operation by a user having a hand with fingers, the controller comprising:

a controller body having a handle portion with an outside surface;

a tracking arc that is fixed to the controller body;

a hand retainer including a resilient member that biases the hand retainer in an open position;

a first plurality of tracking sensors disposed in the tracking arc, the first plurality of tracking sensors being responsive to electromagnetic radiation emitted by the electronic system; and

an array of proximity sensors that are spatially distributed around the outside surface of the handle portion, the array of proximity sensors being responsive to a proximity of the fingers to the outside surface of the handle portion.

23. The controller of claim 22, wherein the hand includes a palm, and wherein the hand retainer comprises a hand-retention strap that is adjustable in length, the hand retainer, when the hand-retention strap is adjusted in length, configured to physically bias the palm against the outside surface.

24. The controller of claim 23, wherein the hand-retention strap includes a cord that is cinched by a spring-biased chock.

25. A controller for an electronic system, for operation by a user having a hand with fingers and a palm, the controller comprising:

a controller body having a handle portion with an outside surface;

a tracking arc that is coupled to the controller body;

a hand retainer including a hand-retention strap that is adjustable in length, the hand retainer, when the hand-retention strap is adjusted in length, configured to physically bias the palm against the outside surface;

a first plurality of tracking sensors disposed in the tracking arc, the first plurality of tracking sensors being responsive to electromagnetic radiation emitted by the electronic system; and

an array of proximity sensors that are spatially distributed on the outside surface of the handle portion, the array of proximity sensors being responsive to a proximity of the fingers to the outside surface of the handle portion.

26. The controller of claim 25, wherein the hand-retention strap includes a cord that is cinched by a spring-biased chock.

27. The controller of claim 25, wherein the hand retainer further includes a resilient member that biases the hand retainer in an open position.