Gesture input device

• US 10,496,181 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2018
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Lin, Jia-Yu, Chen, Chih-Chiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Khoo, Stacy
• Application Number:
  US16/012,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20190317607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• 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 3/0346 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 gesture input device for interacting with a wearable object is provided. A plurality of magnetic generators are disposed on the wearable object. The gesture input device includes a plurality of magnetic sensors and a controller. The magnetic sensors are disposed on the wearable object. The magnetic sensors are configured to sense a plurality of magnetic signals provided by the magnetic generators, and generate a plurality of voltage signals according to the magnetic signals. The controller is coupled to the magnetic sensors and configured to receive the voltage signals. When the wearable object is worn on a user'"'"'s hand and the user'"'"'s hand is in different gestures, the voltage signals generated by the magnetic sensors correspondingly change. The controller determines that the gesture of the user'"'"'s hand according to the voltage signals.

Claims

1. A gesture input device, configured to interact with a wearable object on which a plurality of magnetic generators are disposed, comprising:

a plurality of magnetic sensors, disposed on the wearable object, and configured to sense a plurality of magnetic signals provided by the magnetic generators and generate a plurality of voltage signals according to the magnetic signals; and

a controller, coupled to the magnetic sensors and configured to receive the voltage signals,

wherein when the wearable object is worn on a user'"'"'s hand, the magnetic generators and the magnetic sensors are respectively located at two sides of a plurality of joints of the user'"'"'s hand such that the magnetic sensors are closer to a palm of the user'"'"'s hand than the magnetic generators, and when a change of a gesture of the user'"'"'s hand results in different relative positions of the magnetic generators and the magnetic sensors, at least one of the voltage signals generated by the magnetic sensors is correspondingly changed, and the controller determines that the gesture of the user'"'"'s hand according to the voltage signals.

2. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the magnetic sensors and the magnetic generators is embedded in an elastic material.

3. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 2, wherein when the controller determines that a voltage value of at least one of the voltage signals is higher than a predetermined threshold, the controller further analyzes the voltage value to generate a pressure information.

4. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic signals provided by the magnetic generators have different periodic magnetic field variations.

5. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller selectively turns on at least one of the magnetic sensors according to a mode selection signal.

6. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a transmission circuit, coupled to the controller and configured to communicate with an external computer device, wherein the controller generates a gesture information according to a change of the voltage signals and provides the gesture information to the external computer device through the transmission circuit.

7. A gesture input device, configured to interact with a handheld object wherein a plurality of magnetic generators are disposed on a holding portion of the handheld object, comprising:

a plurality of magnetic sensors, disposed on a wearable object, and configured to sense a plurality of magnetic signals provided by the magnetic generators and generate a plurality of voltage signals according to the magnetic signals; and

a controller, coupled to the magnetic sensors and configured to receive the voltage signals,

wherein when the wearable object is worn on a user'"'"'s hand, the magnetic sensors are respectively located at a palm of the user'"'"'s hand, and when the user'"'"'s hand holds the holding portion of the handheld object, the magnetic sensors sense the magnetic signals provided by the magnetic generators and at least one of the voltage signals generated by the magnetic sensors is correspondingly changed, and the controller determines a manner that the user'"'"'s hand holds the handheld object according to a pairing result between the magnetic sensors and the magnetic generators which is derived from the voltage signals generated by the magnetic sensors.

8. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the magnetic signals provided by the magnetic generators have different periodic magnetic field variations.

9. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the controller selectively turns on at least one of the magnetic sensors according to a mode selection signal.

10. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

a transmission circuit, coupled to the controller and configured to communicate with an external computer device, wherein the controller generates a gesture information according to a change of the voltage signals and provides the gesture information to the external computer device through the transmission circuit.

11. A gesture input device, configured to interact with a wearable object on which a plurality of magnetic generators are disposed, and interact with a handheld object, wherein another plurality of magnetic generators are disposed on a holding portion of the handheld object, comprising:

a plurality of magnetic sensors, disposed on the wearable object, and configured to sense a plurality of magnetic signals provided by the magnetic generators and generate a plurality of voltage signals according to the magnetic signals;

another plurality of magnetic sensors, disposed on the wearable object, and configured to sense another plurality of magnetic signals provided by the another magnetic generators and generate another plurality of voltage signals according to the another magnetic signals; and

a controller, coupled to the magnetic sensors and the another magnetic sensors, and configured to receive the voltage signals and the another voltage signals,

wherein when the wearable object is worn on a user'"'"'s hand, the magnetic generators and the magnetic sensors are respectively located at two sides of a plurality of joints of the user'"'"'s hand such that the magnetic sensors are closer to a palm of the user'"'"'s hand than the magnetic generators, and when a change of a gesture of the user'"'"'s hand results in different relative positions of the magnetic generators and the magnetic sensors, at least one of the voltage signals generated by the magnetic sensors is correspondingly changed, and the controller determines that the gesture of the user'"'"'s hand according to the voltage signals,

wherein the another magnetic sensors are respectively located at the palm of the user'"'"'s hand, and when the user'"'"'s hand holds the holding portion of the handheld object, the another magnetic sensors sense the another magnetic signals provided by the another magnetic generators and at least one of the another voltage signals generated by the another magnetic sensors is correspondingly changed, and the controller determines a manner that the user'"'"'s hand holds the handheld object according to a pairing result between the another magnetic sensors and the another magnetic generators which is derived from the another voltage signals generated by the another magnetic sensors.

12. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one of the magnetic sensors and the magnetic generators is embedded in an elastic material.

13. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 12, wherein when the controller determines that a voltage value of at least one of the voltage signals is higher than a predetermined threshold, the controller further analyzes the voltage value to generate a pressure information.

14. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the magnetic signals provided by the magnetic generators have different periodic magnetic field variations.

15. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the controller selectively turns on at least one of the magnetic sensors according to a mode selection signal.

16. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a transmission circuit, coupled to the controller and configured to communicate with an external computer device, wherein the controller generates a gesture information according to a change of the voltage signals and provides the gesture information to the external computer device through the transmission circuit.

17. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the another magnetic signals provided by the another magnetic generators have different periodic magnetic field variations.

18. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the controller selectively turns on at least one of the another magnetic sensors according to another mode selection signal.

19. The gesture input device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a transmission circuit, coupled to the controller and configured to communicate with an external computer device, wherein the controller generates a gesture information according to a change of the another voltage signals and provides the gesture information to the external computer device through the transmission circuit.