3D pointing devices and methods

• US 10,514,776 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2017
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IDHL Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Liberty, Matthew G., Simpkins, Daniel S., Gritton, Charles W. K., Turner, Mark, Hunleth, Frank A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sitta, Grant
• Application Number:
  US15/398,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20170108943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0383 Remote input, i.e. interface arrangements in which the signals generated by a pointing device are transmitted to a PC at a remote location, e.g. to a PC in a LAN
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Systems and methods according to the present invention address these needs and others by providing a handheld device, e.g., a 3D pointing device, which uses at least one sensor to detect motion of the handheld device. The detected motion can then be mapped into a desired output, e.g., cursor movement.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a device having a processor and a plurality of sensors, comprising a three-axis accelerometer and at least one rotational sensor, the method comprising:

detecting movement of the device using at least one of the plurality of sensors;

obtaining three-axis angular velocity values and three-axis acceleration values at the processor from the plurality of sensors in connection with the detected movement, wherein the three-axis angular velocity values correspond to rotational movement of the device detected by the at least one rotational sensor, and wherein the three-axis acceleration values comprise at least an acceleration of the device due to gravity detected by the three-axis accelerometer;

determining, by the processor, a current orientation in which the device is currently being held by a user using the three-axis acceleration values, the three-axis angular velocity values, a function for rotating a prior orientation in accordance with the three-axis angular velocity values and filtering to attenuate a tremor introduced into the device in connection with the device being held; and

outputting, by the processor, the current orientation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the user based upon a tremor pattern associated with the tremor.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining an identity of the user by comparing the tremor pattern with a plurality of stored tremor patterns.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising retrieving preference settings associated with the user in response to identifying the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein using filtering to attenuate tremor comprises any of:

using hysteresis to filter the tremor; and

using filtering to filter a frequency component from the three-axis angular velocity values, and wherein the frequency component has a frequency within a range of frequencies associated with human tremor.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a state of the device based on the tremor.

7. The method claim 1, further comprising differentiating first and second states of the device based on the tremor.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transforming the current orientation into information for supporting one or more user interface commands.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information for supporting one or more user interface commands comprises information to support motion based event handling.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the prior orientation comprises any of an arbitrary orientation and a priorly determined orientation.

10. A device comprising circuitry, including a processor and a plurality of sensors, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a three-axis accelerometer and at least one rotational sensor, wherein:

the plurality of sensors is configured to detect movement of the device;

the processor is configured to;

obtain three-axis angular velocity values and three-axis acceleration values from the plurality of sensors in connection with the detected movement, wherein the three-axis angular velocity values correspond to rotational movement of the device detected by the at least one rotational sensor, and wherein the three-axis acceleration values comprise at least an acceleration of the device due to gravity detected by the three-axis accelerometer;

determine a current orientation in which the device is currently being held by a user using the three-axis acceleration values, the three-axis angular velocity values, a function for rotating a prior orientation in accordance with the three-axis angular velocity values and filtering to attenuate a tremor introduced into the device in connection with the device being held; and

output the current orientation.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to identify the user based upon a tremor pattern associated with the tremor.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to determine an identity of the user by comparing the tremor pattern with a plurality of stored tremor patterns.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to retrieve preference settings associated with the user in response to identifying the user.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to perform filtering to attenuate tremor, at least in part, by any of:

using hysteresis; and

filtering a frequency component from the three-axis angular velocity values, wherein the frequency component has a frequency within a range of frequencies associated with human tremor.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to determine a state of the device based on the tremor.

16. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to differentiate first and second states of the device based on the tremor.

17. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to transform the current orientation into information for supporting one or more user interface commands.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the information for supporting one or more user interface commands comprises information to support motion based event handling.

20. The device of claim 10, wherein the prior orientation comprises any of an arbitrary orientation and a priorly determined orientation.