Modular fingertip sensors

• US 10,437,345 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Meagher, Richard, Glatfelter, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zheng, Xuemei
• Application Number:
  US15/639,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20190004610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0331 Finger worn pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• 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 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113

Abstract

A sensor system includes a finger mount comprising a sleeve, where the sleeve is configured to attach to a finger of a user. The system also includes a processing unit coupled to the finger mount, and a sensory attachment coupled to the finger mount, where the sensory attachment is communicatively coupled to the processing unit. The system also includes a grounding component conductively coupled to the finger mount.

Claims

1. A sensor system comprising:

a finger mount comprising a sleeve, wherein the sleeve is configured to attach to a finger of a user, wherein the finger mount includes a first end and a second end, wherein when worn the finger of the user is positioned into the first end of the finger mount;

a processing unit coupled to the second end of the finger mount;

a sensory attachment coupled to the finger mount, wherein the sensory attachment is communicatively coupled to the processing unit, wherein the sensory attachment is coupled to the second end of the finger mount so as to be positioned at a fingertip of the finger of the user, wherein the processing unit is positioned between the finger mount and the sensory attachment;

a grounding component conductively coupled to the finger mount; and

a glove configured to be worn on a hand of the user, wherein the finger mount is removably attached to a portion of the glove.

2. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensory attachment comprises a radio frequency receiver, wherein the processing unit comprises a wireless communications interface.

3. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensory attachment comprises an image capture device, and wherein the processing unit comprises an image processing unit.

4. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sleeve of the finger mount comprises a resilient material such that the sleeve embraces the finger of the user when attached thereto.

5. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensory attachment comprises a probe for measuring values in an electrical circuit, and wherein the processing unit comprises a volt-ohm-milliammeter.

6. The sensor system of claim 5, further comprising a thumb mount configured to attach to a thumb of the user, wherein the grounding component is a probe positioned on the thumb mount.

7. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensory attachment is a first sensory attachment of a plurality of sensory attachments, wherein each other sensory attachment is configured to be removably coupled to the finger mount and communicatively coupled to the processing unit such that each other sensory attachment is interchangeable with the first sensory attachment.

8. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the finger mount further comprises at least one biometric sensor positioned on the sleeve to collect biometric data corresponding to the user.

9. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensory attachment comprises at least one environmental sensor.

10. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the glove is a fingerless glove, and wherein the finger mount couples to the glove at a fastening point on the glove corresponding to a location where a finger extends from the glove.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, location data from a finger-mounted radio frequency receiver, wherein the location data corresponds to a location of the finger-mounted radio frequency receiver within an environment;

mapping the location data of the finger-mounted radio frequency receiver to a corresponding model location of the finger-mounted radio frequency receiver within a three-dimensional model of the environment;

receiving, by the computing device, image data from a finger-mounted image capture device, wherein the image data corresponds to the environment;

using the corresponding model location of the finger-mounted radio frequency receiver within the three-dimensional model of the environment to focus a search within a portion of the three-dimensional model of the environment for matching parts of a plurality of parts in the image data to corresponding parts in the portion of the three-dimensional model of the environment;

matching one or more parts of the plurality of parts in the image data to the corresponding parts in the portion of the three-dimensional model of the environment; and

outputting an identification, by the computing device, based on the corresponding model location of the finger-mounted radio frequency receiver within the three-dimensional model and the corresponding parts in the three-dimensional model of the environment to which the one or more parts of the plurality of parts in the image data are found to be matching, of a particular part from the plurality of parts in the three-dimensional model of the environment.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

before outputting the identification of the particular part from the plurality of parts, receiving, by the computing device, an indication of the particular part to be identified.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying, via a graphical interface, a graphical representation of the image data, wherein the graphical representation of the image data includes a graphical identification of the particular part.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein matching one or more parts of the plurality of parts in the image data to the corresponding parts in the portion of the three-dimensional model of the environment comprises querying a database corresponding to the three-dimensional model of the environment.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, from a finger-mounted probe, a measured value in an electrical circuit; and

displaying, via a graphical interface, an indication of the measured value in the electrical circuit.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving location data from a finger-mounted radio frequency receiver, wherein the location data corresponds to a location of the finger-mounted radio frequency receiver within an environment;

mapping the location data of the finger-mounted radio frequency receiver to a corresponding model location of the finger-mounted radio frequency receiver within a three-dimensional model of the environment;

receiving image data from a finger-mounted image capture device, wherein the image data corresponds to the environment;

using the corresponding model location of the finger-mounted radio frequency receiver within the three-dimensional model of the environment to focus a search within a portion of the three-dimensional model of the environment for matching parts of a plurality of parts in the image data to corresponding parts in the portion of the three-dimensional model of the environment;

matching one or more parts of the plurality of parts in the image data to the corresponding parts in the portion of the three-dimensional model of the environment; and

outputting an identification, based on the corresponding model location of the finger-mounted radio frequency receiver within the three-dimensional model and the corresponding parts in the three-dimensional model of the environment to which the one or more parts of the plurality of parts in the image data are found to be matching, of a particular part from the plurality of parts in the three-dimensional model of the environment.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 further comprising instructions, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

before outputting the identification of the particular part from the plurality of parts, receiving, by the computing device, an indication of the particular part to be identified.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 further comprising instructions, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

displaying, via a graphical interface, a graphical representation of the image data, wherein the graphical representation of the image data includes a graphical identification of the particular part.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein matching one or more parts of the plurality of parts in the image data to the corresponding parts in the portion of the three-dimensional model of the environment comprises querying a database corresponding to the three-dimensional model of the environment.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 further comprising instructions, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving a measured value in an electrical circuit from a finger-mounted probe; and

displaying, via a graphical interface, an indication of the measured value in the electrical circuit.