Hand mounted ultrasonic position determining device and system

• US 20030025721A1
• Filed: 03/04/2002
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Measurement Specialties, Inc. (France) (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Measurement Specialties, Inc. (France) (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Toda, Minoru, Clapper, Joshua, Park, Kyung-Tae
• Application Number:
  US10/026,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20030025721A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0331 Finger worn pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• 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 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0426 tracking fingers with respect to a virtual keyboard projected or printed on the surface virtual keyboards on touch screens G06F3/04886

Abstract

A system for determining and indicating the position of a finger removes the requirement for a conventional keyboard when providing information to a processor. Various embodiments of the present invention include combinations of ultrasonic, electromagnetic, and optical transducers and devices mounted on various locations of a user'"'"'s hands and fingers. A character grid, or template, is also included to allow a user to select characters on the grid. The location of a particular finger is used to determine which keyboard character and/or control character on the character grid is being selected. A pair of glove like devices mounted on a user'"'"'s hands have transducers mounted on the fingers. These transducers include piezoelectric film ultrasonic transducers. The transducers may be mounted on the fingertips of the user, on around the finger like a ring. Because the position of each finger is determined by the system, the character grid is not required to supply this information to the processor. Thus, the character grid may be made of any material capable of visually depicting keyboard type characters, such as plastic or paper. This character grid may be rolled or folded when not in use.

Claims

1. A device for indicating a position of a finger, said device comprising:

a piezoelectric film that provides a signal in accordance with a displacement of said film, said signal being indicative of a position of said finger, wherein said device is conformably shaped to fit on at least a portion of said finger.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said device is conformably shaped to fit over a tip of said finger.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said piezoelectric film comprises Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF).

4. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said device comprises an ultrasonic transducer; and

said signal comprises an ultrasonic signal.

5. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said device comprises:

an upper portion shaped to be positioned above an apex of said finger and adjacent a nail bed of said finger; and

a lower member coupled to said upper portion, said lower member shaped to be conformably positioned on a contact region of a tip of said finger, wherein said signal is responsive to a displacement of said lower member.

6. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said device comprises:

a lower portion shaped to be conformably positioned on an apex of said finger; and

an upper member coupled to said lower member, said upper member shaped to be conformably positioned above said apex and adjacent a nail bed of said finger, wherein said signal is responsive to a displacement of said upper member.

7. A device in accordance with claim 1, said signal comprising a trigger signal and a transmission signal, wherein said trigger signal is responsive to a displacement of said film and said transmission signal is responsive to said trigger signal.

8. A device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a switch for providing a trigger signal, wherein said switch is shaped to be conformably positioned on a contact region of a tip of said finger; and

a ring coupled to said switch, said ring comprising a piezoelectric film that provides a position signal indicative of a position of said finger, wherein;

said ring is shaped to be conformably positioned on said finger; and

said position signal is responsive to said trigger signal.

9. A device in accordance with claim 8, wherein said switch is one of the group consisting of a pressure sensitive switch and a proximity switch.

10. An apparatus for indicating the position of at least one finger of a hand on which said apparatus is adapted to be mounted, said apparatus comprising at least one transducer for providing at least one position signal indicative of a position of at least one respective finger, each transducer shaped to be positioned on a respective finger.

11. An apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein each transducer comprises piezoelectric film and said position signal is responsive to a displacement of said piezoelectric film.

12. An apparatus in accordance with claim 11, said position signal comprising a trigger signal and a transmission signal, wherein said trigger signal is responsive to a displacement of said film and said transmission signal is responsive to said trigger signal.

13. An apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein each transducer comprises Polyvinylidene Fluoride film and said position signal is responsive to a displacement of said Polyvinylidene Fluoride film.

14. An apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein:

each transducer is an ultrasonic transducer; and

each position signal comprises a respective ultrasonic signal.

15. An apparatus in accordance with claim 10, further comprising:

a control device for controlling a transmission of each position signal, said control device being mounted to said hand, each transducer being coupled to said control device; and

an optical emitter that provides a respective optical signal indicative of a position of each of said at least one finger, said optical emitter being coupled to said control device, wherein said control device controls a transmission of said optical signal.

16. An apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein each transducer is shaped to be conformably positioned on a respective finger, each transducer comprising:

an upper portion shaped to be positioned above an apex of said respective finger and adjacent a nail bed of said respective finger; and

a lower member coupled to said upper portion, said lower member shaped to be conformably positioned on a contact region of a tip of said respective finger, wherein said signal is responsive to a displacement of said lower member.

17. An apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein each transducer is shaped to be conformably positioned on a respective finger, each transducer comprising:

a lower portion shaped to be conformably positioned on an apex of a respective finger; and

an upper member coupled to said lower member, said upper member shaped to be conformable positioned above said apex and adjacent a nail bed of said respective finger, wherein said signal is responsive to a displacement of said upper member.

18. An apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein each transducer is shaped to be conformably positioned on a respective finger, each transducer comprising:

a switch for providing a trigger signal, wherein said switch is shaped to be conformably positioned on a contact region of a tip of a respective finger; and

a ring coupled to said switch, said ring comprising a piezoelectric film for providing a position signal indicative of a position of said respective finger, wherein;

said ring is shaped to be conformably positioned on said respective finger; and

said position signal is responsive to said trigger signal.

19. A system for determining a position of at least one finger, said system comprising:

a transmitting portion for transmitting a respective ultrasonic signal indicative of a position of each of said at least one finger of a hand on which said transmitting portion is adapted to be mounted, wherein an ultrasonic transducer for providing said respective ultrasonic signal is shaped to be conformably positioned on each of said at least one finger;

a receiving portion for receiving said transmitted ultrasonic signals; and

a processor for determining a position of each of said at least one finger in accordance with said received ultrasonic signals.

20. A system in accordance with claim 19, said transducer comprising a piezoelectric film for providing a trigger signal and said ultrasonic signal, wherein said trigger signal is responsive to a displacement of said piezoelectric film and said ultrasonic signal is responsive to said trigger signal.

21. A system in accordance with claim 19, further comprising a character grid comprising at least one character, wherein a position of each finger is indicative of a selection of one of said at least one character.

22. A system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said receiving portion is fixedly attached to said character grid.

23. A system in accordance with claim 21, said character grid further comprising circuitry for sensing a selection of a character, wherein:

an electrical signal is provided in response to said sensing a selection of a character; and

said processor determines a position of each of said at least one finger in accordance with said ultrasonic and electrical signals.

24. A system in accordance with claim 21, wherein:

said transmitting portion provides an electromagnetic signal responsive to a selection of a character; and

said processor determines a position of each of said at least one finger in accordance with said ultrasonic and electromagnetic signals.

25. A system in accordance with claim 19, wherein each ultrasonic transducer comprises a film comprising at least one of the group consisting of a piezoelectric material and a Polyvinylidene Fluoride.

26. A system in accordance with claim 19, wherein each transducer comprises:

an upper portion shaped to be positioned above an apex of a finger on which each respective transducer is positioned and adjacent a nail bed of that respective finger; and

a lower member coupled to said upper portion, said lower member shaped to be conformably positioned on a contact region of a tip of said respective finger on which each transducer is positioned, wherein said signal is responsive to a displacement of said lower member.

27. A system in accordance with claim 19, wherein each transducer comprises:

a lower portion shaped to be conformably positioned on an apex of a respective finger on which each transducer is positioned; and

an upper member coupled to said lower member, said upper member shaped to be conformably positioned above said apex and adjacent a nail bed of said respective finger on which each transducer is positioned, wherein said signal is responsive to a displacement of said upper member.

28. A system in accordance with claim 19, wherein each transducer comprises:

a switch for providing a trigger signal, wherein said switch is shaped to be conformably positioned on a contact region of a tip of a respective finger on which each transducer is positioned; and

a ring coupled to said switch, said ring comprising a piezoelectric film for providing said respective ultrasonic signal indicative of a position of said respective finger on which each transducer is shaped to be positioned, wherein;

said ring is shaped to be conformably positioned on said respective finger on which each transducer is shaped to be positioned; and

said respective ultrasonic signal is responsive to said trigger signal.

29. A system in accordance with claim 19, said transmitter portion further comprising an optical emitter for providing a respective optical signal indicative of a position of each of said at least one finger, wherein said processor determines a position of each of said at least one finger in accordance with said ultrasonic and optical signals.