METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING A SYSTEM

• US 20100271320A1
• Filed: 05/20/2009
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Ferscha, Alois, Gusenbauer, Stefan, Mitic, Jelena, Wally, Bernhard, Kuhmünch, Christoph, MacWilliams, Asa, Eckl, Roland, Klein, Cornel
• Application Number:
  US12/679,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20100271320A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 control device (1) controls a system using at least one control element (3) that can be manually actuated, a function (F) of the system being controllable depending on a position of the control element (3) in a multi-dimensional reference space (2).

Claims

1. A control device for controlling a system comprising at least one manually operable control element, wherein a function of the system is controlled depending on a position of the control element in a multidimensional reference space.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the multidimensional reference space is a two-dimensional reference surface.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the control element is formed by an absolute position of the control element in the reference space or a relative position of the control element to a reference point within the reference space, or by a relative position of the control element to at least one other control element within the reference space.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control element in the multidimensional reference space is graphically represented for its manual operation.

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control element is a manually operable three-dimensional body, which is manually operable in the multidimensional reference space.

6. The control device according to claim 5, wherein the three-dimensional body is manually operable on a two-dimensional reference surface.

7. The control device according to claim 1, wherein at least one associated actuator or one associated actuator group can be controlled by the manually operable control element.

8. The control device according to claim 7, wherein the actuator can be controlled depending on the position of the control element in the multidimensional reference space.

9. The control device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of control elements which touch each other in the multidimensional reference space can be linked together.

10. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the two-dimensional reference surface is formed by a sensor mat.

11. The control device according to claim 10, wherein the sensor mat is pressure-sensitive.

12. The control device according to claim 11, wherein the control element is a magnetic head.

13. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the two-dimensional reference surface is a touch-sensitive screen, on which the control element is operable as a graphical representation.

14. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the manual operation of the control element causes an absolute or relative position of the control element to be changed.

15. The control device according to claim 14, wherein the manual operation of the control element causes a pressure or a rotary movement to be applied to the control element.

16. The control device according to claim 14, wherein the manual operation of the control element causes an absolute or relative orientation of the control element to be changed in the reference space.

17. The control device according to claim 14, wherein the manual operation of the control element causes the control element to be rotated.

18. The control device according to claim 1, wherein each control element features a relevant control element identification.

19. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the multidimensional reference space comprises various logical reference sub-spaces, to which at least one function of the system is assigned in each case.

20. The control device according to claim 19, wherein the logical reference sub-spaces are formed by geometric partitions.

21. The control device according to claim 19, wherein the logical reference sub-spaces can be selected from a group of predefined reference sub-spaces.

22. The control device according to claim 19, wherein the logical reference sub-spaces can be changed relative to time.

23. The control device according to claim 19, wherein a real space is assigned to each logical reference sub-space.

24. The control device according to claim 19, wherein a switched state of the control element is assigned to each logical reference sub-space.

25. The control device according to claim 19, wherein the multidimensional reference space is a two-dimensional reference surface which features an active surface as a first logical reference sub-space, all control elements situated therein activating an associated actuator in each case, and a passive surface as a second logical reference sub-space, all control elements situated therein deactivating an associated actuator in each case.

26. The control device according to claim 19, wherein the logical reference sub-spaces can be changed depending on environmental conditions which are detected by sensory means.

27. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the control element in the multidimensional reference space is detected by sensory means.

28. A method for controlling a system, comprising the step of contorlling a function of the system depending on the position of a manually operable control element in a multidimensional reference space.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the function of the system is controlled depending on an absolute position of the control element in the multidimensional reference space.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein the function of the system is controlled depending on a relative position of the control element to a reference point within the multidimensional reference space.

31. The method according to claim 28, wherein the function of the system is controlled depending on a relative position of the control element to at least one other control element within the same or within another multidimensional reference space.

32. The method according to claim 28, wherein an associated actuator is controlled by the control element.

33. The method according to claim 28, wherein the control element is touched by a finger of a user for the purpose of its manual operation.

34. An appliance in which an appliance function is controlled depending on a position of a manually operable control element in a multidimensional reference space.

35. The appliance according to claim 34, comprising a touch-sensitive screen on which at least one manually operable control element is graphically represented, wherein a position of the control element in the multidimensional reference space can be changed after touching the graphically represented control element for controlling the appliance function.