Electronic apparatus, input device, and input method

• US 20050233859A1
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Makino, Kenichi, Takai, Motoyuki, Inoue, Makoto, Sako, Yoichiro, Terauchi, Toshiro, Miyajima, Yasushi, Shirai, Katsuya, Asukai, Masamichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,156,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/3
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0054 provided with magnets, magnetic parts or magnetic substances
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• 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: Y10S 482/90 Ergometer with feedback to load or with feedback comparison

Abstract

A walking sensor is attached to a shoe of the user and cooperates with an input device including a detection section detecting a movement of a user'"'"'s leg, a signal conversion section converting a detection result of the detection section into a control signal, and an output section outputting the control signal to an external device.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

detection means for detecting a movement of a user'"'"'s leg;

signal conversion means for converting a detection result of the detection means into a control signal; and

output means for outputting the control signal to an external device.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the control signal is a command for controlling the external device.

3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the detection means comprises a plurality of sensors, and

the signal conversion means forms the control signal in accordance with a time-series signal pattern of the detection signals output from the plurality of sensors.

4. The input device according to claim 3, wherein the signal conversion means includes a database that stores the time-series signal pattern and the control signal in a corresponding manner, and compares the time series signal pattern detected by the detection means and the time-series signal pattern stored in the database to take the corresponding control signal out of the database.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the detection means is attached to at least one portion of shoes, instep, toe, ankle, calf, knee, and thigh of the user.

6. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the detection means is attached to at least one portion of body trunk, lumbar part, and head of the user.

7. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the detection means is one of a bending sensor, a pressure sensor, a ranging sensor, an acceleration sensor, a skew sensor, a magnetic sensor, a current sensor, an electrical potential sensor, and an electromagnetic induction sensor.

8. The input device according to claim 1, comprising

rhythm generation means for generating a rhythm pattern from the detection result of the detection means.

9. An electronic apparatus comprising:

signal conversion means for converting a detection signal indicating a movement of a user'"'"'s leg into a control signal; and

control means for causing the electronic apparatus to execute an operation corresponding to the control signal.

10. An input method comprising:

a detection step of detecting a movement of a user'"'"'s leg;

a signal conversion step of converting a detection result obtained in the detection step into a control signal; and

an output step of outputting the control signal to an external device.

11. An input device comprising:

a detection section detecting a movement of a user'"'"'s leg;

a signal conversion section converting a detection result of the detection section into a control signal; and

an output section outputting the control signal to an external device.

12. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a signal conversion section converting a detection signal indicating a movement of a user'"'"'s leg into a control signal; and

a control section causing an electronic apparatus to execute the operation corresponding to the control signal.