Detecting twist input with an interactive cord

• US 10,402,020 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2016
• 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, Moeller, Jonathan, Rathi, Nidhi, Liu, Jianyi, Ding, Yao, Leung, Chi Kin Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Sun, Pinping
• Application Number:
  US15/352,411
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• 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: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• 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 techniques and devices for detecting twist input with an interactive cord. An interactive cord may be constructed with one or more conductive yarns wrapped around a cable in a first direction (e.g., clockwise), and one or more conductive yarns wrapped around the cable in a second direction that is opposite the first direction (e.g., counter-clockwise). A controller measures one or more capacitance values associated with the conductive yarns. In response to detecting a change in the one or more capacitance values, the controller determines that the change in the capacitance values corresponds to twist input caused by the user twisting the interactive cord. Then, the controller initiates one or more functions based on the twist input, such as by controlling audio to a headset by increasing or decreasing the volume, scrolling through menu items, and so forth.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an interactive cord comprising a cable and a fabric cover that covers the cable, the fabric cover comprising;

at least two conductive yarns that are wrapped around the cable in a first direction, the at least two conductive yarns configured as transmitting lines; and

at least two other conductive yarns that are wrapped around the cable in a second direction, the at least two other conductive yarns configured as receiving lines; and

a controller coupled to the interactive cord, the controller configured to;

determine that a change in one or more capacitance values associated with the at least two conductive yarns configured as the transmitting lines and the at least two other conductive yarns configured as the receiving lines corresponds to a twist input received by the interactive cord, the determination comprising;

collecting sensor pair values by transmitting a signal on each of the transmitting lines, and measuring the signal on each of the receiving lines;

assigning the each of the transmitting lines a unique order number based on the sensor pair values;

performing, for the each of the transmitting lines, a table lookup to determine a twist likelihood value based on the unique order number; and

determining the twist input based on a sum of the twist likelihood values for the each of the transmitting lines; and

initiate one or more functions in response to the determination of the twist input.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a direction of the twist input, and wherein the controller initiates the one or more functions based at least in part on the direction of the twist input.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the determined direction of the twist input corresponds to twisting the interactive cord clockwise or counter-clockwise.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine an amount of the twist input or a speed of the twist input, and wherein the controller initiates the one or more functions based at least in part on the amount or the speed of the twist input.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the change in the one or more capacitance values corresponds to a slide input to the interactive cord.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to initiate one or more additional functions based on the slide input.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a direction of the slide input, and wherein the controller initiates the one or more additional functions based at least in part on the direction of the slide input.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to detect the change in the one or more capacitance values using mutual capacitance sensing.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is implemented at one of the interactive cord or a computing device coupled to the interactive cord.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive cord comprises a cord for ear buds or headphones, a data transfer cord, or a power cord.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more functions correspond to a function that increases or decreases an amount of volume.

12. A system comprising:

an interactive cord, the interactive cord comprising;

an inner layer comprising a cable and one or more conductive yarns wrapped around the cable in a first direction, the one or more conductive yarns configured as transmitting lines;

an outer layer comprising one or more other conductive yarns wrapped around the inner layer in a second direction that is opposite the first direction, the one or more other conductive yarns configured as receiving lines; and

a controller coupled to the interactive cord, the controller configured to;

determine that a change in one or more capacitance values associated with the at least two conductive yarns configured as the transmitting lines and the one or more other conductive yarns configured as the receiving lines corresponds to a twist input received by the interactive cord, the determination comprising;

collecting sensor pair values by transmitting a signal on each of the transmitting lines, and measuring the signal on each of the receiving lines;

assigning the each of the transmitting lines a unique order number based on the sensor pair values;

performing, for the each of the transmitting lines, a table lookup to determine a twist likelihood value based on the unique order number; and

determining the twist input based on a sum of the twist likelihood values for the each of the transmitting lines; and

initiate one or more functions in response to the determination of the twist input.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to determine that a direction of the twist input is the same direction as the second direction based on an increase in the one or more capacitance values.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein twisting the interactive cord in the same direction as the second direction causes a distance between the transmitting lines and the receiving lines to decrease thereby increasing the one or more capacitance values.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to determine that a direction of the twist input is an opposite direction of the second direction based on a decrease in the one or more capacitance values.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein twisting the interactive cord in the opposite direction of the second direction causes a distance between the transmitting lines and the receiving lines to increase thereby decreasing the one or more capacitance values.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to initiate a first function in response to determining that a direction of the twist input corresponds to the first direction, and to initiate a second function in response to determining that the direction of the twist input corresponds to the second direction.

18. A method implemented by a controller coupled to an interactive cord that includes a cable and at least two conductive yarns configured as transmitting lines that are wrapped around the cable in a first direction and at least two other conductive yarns configured as receiving lines that are wrapped around the cable in a second direction, the method comprising:

determining that a change in one or more capacitance values associated with the at least two conductive yarns configured as the transmitting lines and the at least two other conductive yarns configured as the receiving lines corresponds to a twist input received by the interactive cord, the determination comprising;

collecting sensor pair values by transmitting a signal on each of transmitting lines, and measuring the signal on each of the receiving lines;

assigning the each of the transmitting lines a unique order number based on the sensor pair values;

performing, for the each of the transmitting lines, a table lookup to determine a twist likelihood value based on the unique order number; and

determining the twist input based on a sum of the twist likelihood values for the each of the transmitting lines; and

initiating one or more functions in response to the determination of the twist input.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining a direction of the twist input, wherein the initiating one or more functions is based at least in part on the direction of the twist input.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more functions correspond to a function that scrolls through a list of menu items.