SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ANALYZING MOVEMENTS OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20100073284A1
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: DODS, Jeffrey Alton Hugh, Simmons, Sean Bartholomew
• Granted Patent: US 8,744,799 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a system and method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device. The system comprises: memory; a microprocessor; a first module to generate movement data responsive to movements of the device; a second module providing instructions to the microprocessor to map the movement data to a string representation relating to symbols in a spatial coordinate system associated with the device and store the string representation in the memory; and a third module. The third module provides instructions to the microprocessor to analyze data relating to the string representation against data relating to a gesture string representing a gesture related to a command for the device to determine if the gesture has been imparted on the device; and if the string representation sufficiently matches the gesture string, executes a command associated with the gesture on the device.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device, comprising:

tracking movement data for said device;

mapping said movement data to a string representation;

analyzing said string representation for said device against a gesture string representing a gesture related to a command for said device to determine if said gesture has been imparted on said device; and

if said string representation matches said gesture string, executing a command associated with said gesture on said device.

2. The method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said analyzing said string representation utilizes earlier movement data, if available, for said device.

3. The method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said string representation is compared against a threshold to determine if said string representation matches said gesture string representation.

4. The method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein movements are mapped to enumeration symbols arranged in a spatial coordinate system associated with said device.

5. The method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said spatial coordinate system provides a locus of points from the origin of a coordinate system for said device.

6. The method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

said mapping said movement data to said string representation comprises converting said movement data to a movement vector representing said movement;

calculating a total acceleration vector for said device, said total acceleration vector including said movement vector and a tilt vector for said device; and

mapping said total acceleration vector against said spatial coordinate system to identify an enumeration symbol of said enumeration symbols that matches said movement.

7. The method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 6, wherein an accelerometer provides said movement data for said device.

8. The method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said analyzing said string representation utilizes a threshold that discards contiguously repeated enumeration symbols in said string representation.

9. The method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 8, wherein one of a local sequence alignment or edit distance algorithm is utilized to evaluate said string representation against said threshold.

10. The method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said analyzing said string representation comprises:

constructing a matrix of data containing said string representation and said gesture string; and

calculating a matching score for said string representation against said gesture string by traversing a subset of said matrix to generate matching scores for values in said string representation against said gesture string.

11. The method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 10, wherein:

said constructing said matrix of data uses earlier movement data of said device; and

said calculating said matching score utilizes a Smith-Waterman algorithm to recursively traverse a subset of said matrix until a stop condition is encountered.

12. The method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

said matrix is a programming matrix D(i,j), comprising;

dimensions m×

n, where m is the length of the string representation and n is the length of the gesture string, with components of the string representation being identified with said m dimension and components of said gesture string being identified with said n dimension,

a leftmost column D(i,0)=0, i=0 . . . m; and

a top row D(0,j)=0, j=0 . . . n;

and

remaining elements in said matrix are set to be the minimum value of 0 or one of;

13. The method for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said calculating said matching score utilizes said string representation and said earlier movement data collectively to determine if said gesture string straddles said string representation and said earlier movement data.

14. A system for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device, comprising:

a memory storage device;

a microprocessor;

a first module to generate movement data for said device responsive to movements of said device;

a second module providing instructions to said microprocessor to map said movement data to a string representation relating to enumeration symbols arranged in a spatial coordinate system associated with said device and store said string representation in said memory storage device; and

a third module providing instructions to said microprocessor to

analyze data relating to said string representation and earlier movement data, if available, for said device against data relating to a gesture string representing a gesture related to a command for said device to determine if said gesture has been imparted on said device; and

if said string representation is compared against a threshold to determine if said string representation matches said gesture string, to execute a command associated with said gesture on said device.

15. The system for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said second module:

converts said movement data to a movement vector representing said movement;

calculates a total acceleration vector for said device, said total acceleration vector including said movement vector and a tilt vector for said device; and

maps said total acceleration vector against said spatial coordinate system to identify an enumeration symbol of said enumeration symbols that matches said movement.

16. The system for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 15, wherein said first module comprises an accelerometer to provide said movement data for said device.

17. The system for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said third module utilizes one of a sequence alignment or an edit distance algorithm to evaluate said string representation against said threshold.

18. The system for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said third module provides instructions to said microprocessor to:

construct a matrix of data containing said string representation and said gesture string; and

calculate a matching score for said string representation against said gesture string by traversing a subset of said matrix to generate matching scores for values in said string representation against said gesture string.

19. The system for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 18, wherein:

said matrix is a programming matrix D(i,j), comprising;

dimensions m×

n, where m is the length of the string representation and n is the length of the gesture string, with components of the string representation being identified with said m dimension and components of said gesture string being identified with said n dimension,

a leftmost column D(i,0)=0, i=0 . . . m; and

a top row D(0,j)=0, j=0 . . . n;

and

remaining elements in said matrix are set to be the minimum value of 0 or one of;

20. The system for analyzing movements of a handheld electronic device as claimed in claim 18, wherein said third module wherein utilizes said string representation and said earlier movement data collectively to determine if said gesture string straddles said string representation and said earlier movement data.