METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING MOBILE AND CONSUMER ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20110018794A1
• Filed: 03/12/2010
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Michaelis, Oliver, Jaime, Manuel Eduardo, Linsky, Joel Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 9,024,865 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

Various methods for controlling a device is disclosed including dynamically selecting a set of mappings defining how a gesture made by a movement of at least one wearable item will be interpreted as one or more commands; determining whether the gesture has a mapping in the set of mappings; and translating the gesture into a command for the device based on the determination. Interpreting movements of a wearable item as gestures associated with a command to control a controlled device is also disclosed that includes sensing a movement of the wearable item in context as being indicative of a gesture relating to the command based on the first context. A method for communicating control information by a wearable device is further disclosed including determining an agreed upon set of control gestures between first and second devices, wherein the control gestures are performable using the first device and are supportable by the second device; and participating in a control sequence to control the second device via a wireless transmission corresponding to at least one of the control gestures to be performed using the first device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a device, comprising:

dynamically selecting a set of mappings defining how a gesture made by a movement of at least one wearable item will be interpreted as one or more commands;

determining whether the gesture has a mapping in the set of mappings; and

translating the gesture into a command for the device based on the determination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic selection of the set of mappings is based on an application context.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the movement of the at least one wearable item; and

interpreting the movement as the gesture.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the detection of the movement of the at least one wearable item comprises detecting raw sensor data corresponding to the movement.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing feedback acknowledging the gesture.

6. An apparatus for controlling a device, comprising:

a processing system configured to;

dynamically select a set of mappings defining how a gesture made by a movement of at least one wearable item will be interpreted as one or more commands;

determine whether the gesture has a mapping in the set of mappings; and

translate the gesture into a command for the device based on the determination.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the dynamic selection of the set of mappings is based on an application context.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

detect the movement of the at least one wearable item; and

interpret the movement as the gesture.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the detection comprises detecting raw sensor data corresponding to the movement.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing system is further configured to provide feedback acknowledging the gesture.

11. An apparatus for controlling a device, comprising:

means for dynamically selecting a set of mappings defining how a gesture made by a movement of at least one wearable item will be interpreted as one or more commands;

means for determining whether the gesture has a mapping in the set of mappings; and

means for translating the gesture into a command for the device based on the determination.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the dynamic selection of the set of mappings is based on an application context.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for detecting the movement of the at least one wearable item; and

means for interpreting the movement as the gesture.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for detecting the movement of the at least one wearable item comprises means for detecting raw sensor data corresponding to the movement.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for providing feedback acknowledging the gesture.

16. A computer-program product for controlling a device, comprising a computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable to:

dynamically select a set of mappings defining how a gesture made by a movement of at least one wearable item will be interpreted as one or more commands;

determine whether the gesture has a mapping in the set of mappings; and

translate the gesture into a command for the device based on the determination.

17. A watch for controlling a device, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive signals for a gesture made by a movement of at least one wearable item; and

a processing system configured to;

dynamically select a set of mappings defining how the gesture will be interpreted as one or more commands;

determine whether the gesture has a mapping in the set of mappings; and

translate the gesture into a command for the device based on the determination.

18. A method of interpreting movements of a wearable item as gestures associated with a command to control a controlled device, comprising:

sensing a movement of the wearable item;

determining a first context in which the movement is sensed; and

interpreting the movement as being indicative of a gesture relating to the command based on the first context.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising interpreting the movement as not indicative of the gesture relating to the command to control the controlled device if the movement is not sensed in the first context.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the movement comprises at least one of sliding, rotating, tilting, flexing, or tapping.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the first context comprises at least one of a location, an application, a time, or an environment.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the determination is based on an operational state of the wearable item.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the determination is based on an application context of the wearable item, and the application context is selected by the wearable item or the controlled device based on direct user actions or implicit conditions.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the determination is based on a set of previously configured applicable contexts by a movement of another wearable item.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the first context in which the movement is sensed is used to interpret data sensed by multiple sensors within the wearable item or multiple sensors embedded in multiple wearable items.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the first context in which the movement is sensed is used to interpret data received from multiple sensors embedded in one or more wearable items.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the first context in which the movement is sensed is used to initiate gesture detection.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein the first context in which the movement is sensed is used to determine whether any step of the process to perform gesture detection needs to be initiated.

29. The method of claim 18, further comprising

receiving data from multiple sensors;

and

prioritizing the data based on the first context to aid in interpretation of the data.

30. An apparatus for interpreting movements of a wearable item as gestures associated with a command to control a controlled device, comprising:

a sensor configured to sense a movement of the wearable item; and

a processing system coupled to the sensor and configured to;

determine a first context in which the movement is sensed; and

interpret the movement as being indicative of a gesture relating to the command based on the first context.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the processing system is further configured to interpret the movement as not indicative of the gesture relating to the command to control the controlled device if the movement is not sensed in the first context.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the movement comprises at least one of sliding, rotating, tilting, flexing, or tapping.

33. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the first context comprises at least one of a location, an application, a time, or an environment.

34. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the determination is based on an operational state of the wearable item.

35. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the determination is based on an application context of the wearable item, and the application context is selected by the wearable item or the controlled device based on direct user actions or implicit conditions.

36. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the determination is based on a set of previously configured applicable contexts by a movement of another wearable item.

37. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the first context in which the movement is sensed is used to interpret data sensed by multiple sensors within the wearable item or multiple sensors embedded in multiple wearable items.

38. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the first context in which the movement is sensed is used to interpret data received from multiple sensors embedded in one or more wearable items.

39. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the first context in which the movement is sensed is used to initiate gesture detection.

40. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the first context in which the movement is sensed is used to determine whether any step of the process to perform gesture detection needs to be initiated.

41. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

receive data from multiple sensors; and

prioritize the data based on the first context to aid in interpretation of the data.

42. An apparatus for interpreting movements of a wearable item as gestures associated with a command to control a controlled device, comprising:

means for sensing a movement of the wearable item;

means for determining a first context in which the movement is sensed; and

means for interpreting the movement as being indicative of a gesture relating to the command based on the first context.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, further comprising means for interpreting the movement as not indicative of the gesture relating to the command to control the controlled device if the movement is not sensed in the first context.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the movement comprises at least one of sliding, rotating, tilting, flexing, or tapping.

45. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the first context comprises at least one of a location, an application, a time, or an environment.

46. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the determination is based on an operational state of the wearable item.

47. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein determination is based on an application context of the wearable item, and the application context is selected by the wearable item or the controlled device based on direct user actions or implicit conditions.

48. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the determination is based on a set of previously configured applicable contexts by a movement of another wearable item.

49. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the first context in which the movement is sensed is used to interpret data sensed by multiple sensors within the wearable item or multiple sensors embedded in multiple wearable items.

50. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the first context in which the movement is sensed is used to interpret data received from multiple sensors embedded in one or more wearable items.

51. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the first context in which the movement is sensed is used to initiate gesture detection.

52. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the first context in which the movement is sensed is used to determine whether any step of the process to perform gesture detection needs to be initiated.

53. The apparatus of claim 42, further comprising:

means for receiving data from multiple sensors; and

means for prioritizing the data based on the first context to aid in interpretation of the data.

54. A computer-program product for interpreting movements of a wearable item as gestures associated with a command, comprising a computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable to:

sense a movement of the wearable item;

determine a first context in which the movement is sensed; and

interpret the movement as being indicative of a gesture relating to a command to control a controlled device based on the first context.

55. A watch comprising:

a sensor configured to sense a movement of the watch;

a processing system coupled to the sensor and configured to;

determine a first context in which the movement is sensed; and

interpret the movement as being indicative of a gesture relating to a command to control a controlled device based on the first context; and

a transmitter coupled to the processing system and configured to transmit the command.

56. A method for communicating control information by a wearable device, comprising:

determining an agreed upon set of control gestures between first and second devices, wherein the control gestures are performable using the first device and are supportable by the second device; and

participating in a control sequence to control the second device via a wireless transmission corresponding to at least one of the control gestures to be performed by the first device.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the control gestures are based on a user interacting with the first device.

58. The method of claim 56, wherein the agreed upon set of control gestures is a subset of control gestures performable by the first device.

59. The method of claim 56, wherein the agreed upon set of control gestures is a subset of control gestures supportable by the second device.

60. The method of claim 56, wherein the determination is initiated by the first device.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein the initiation comprises an advertisement of performable control gestures.

62. The method of claim 56, wherein the determination is initiated by the second device.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein the initiation comprises an advertisement of supportable control gestures.

64. The method of claim 56, further comprising providing user feedback, upon detection of at least one of the control gestures, using at least one of a tactile feedback, a visual feedback, or an audible feedback.

65. The method of claim 56, further comprising processing sensor data into an intermediate format for detection of at least one of the control gestures.

66. The method of claim 56, further comprising processing sensor data for detection of at least one of the control gestures.

67. An apparatus for communicating control information by a wearable device, comprising:

means for determining an agreed upon set of control gestures between first and second devices, wherein the control gestures are performable using the first device and are supportable by the second device; and

means for participating in a control sequence to control the second device via a wireless transmission corresponding to at least one of the control gestures to be performed by the first device.

68. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the control gestures are based on a user interacting with the first device

69. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the agreed upon set of control gestures is a subset of control gestures performable by the first device.

70. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the agreed upon set of control gestures is a subset of control gestures supportable by the second device.

71. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the determination is initiated by the first device.

72. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the initiation comprises an advertisement of performable control gestures.

73. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the determination is initiated by the second device.

74. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein the initiation comprises an advertisement of supportable control gestures.

75. The apparatus of claim 67, further comprising means for providing user feedback, upon detection of at least one of the control gestures, using at least one of a tactile feedback, a visual feedback, or an audible feedback.

76. The apparatus of claim 67, further comprising means for processing sensor data into an intermediate format for detection of at least one of the control gestures.

77. The apparatus of claim 67, further comprising means for processing sensor data for detection of at least one of the control gestures.

78. An apparatus for communicating control information by a wearable device, comprising:

a processing system configured to;

determine an agreed upon set of control gestures between first and second devices, wherein the control gestures are performable using the first device and are supportable by the second device; and

participate in a control sequence to control the second device via a wireless transmission corresponding to at least one of the control gestures to be performed by the first device.

79. The apparatus of claim 78, wherein the control gestures are based on a user interacting with the first device

80. The apparatus of claim 78, wherein the agreed upon set of control gestures is a subset of control gestures performable by the first device.

81. The apparatus of claim 78, wherein the agreed upon set of control gestures is a subset of control gestures supportable by the second device.

82. The apparatus of claim 78, wherein the determination is initiated by the first device.

83. The apparatus of claim 82, wherein the initiation comprises an advertisement of performable control gestures.

84. The apparatus of claim 78, wherein the determination is initiated by the second device.

85. The apparatus of claim 84, wherein the initiation comprises an advertisement of supportable control gestures.

86. The apparatus of claim 78, wherein the processing system is further configured to provide user feedback, upon detection of at least one of the control gestures, using at least one of a tactile feedback, a visual feedback, or an audible feedback.

87. The apparatus of claim 78, wherein the processing system is further configured to process sensor data into an intermediate format for detection of at least one of the control gestures.

88. The apparatus of claim 78, wherein the processing system is further configured to process sensor data for detection of at least one of the control gestures.

89. A watch, comprising:

at least one antenna;

a processing system configured to;

determine an agreed upon set of control gestures between first and second devices, wherein the control gestures are performable using the first device and are supportable by the second device; and

participate in a control sequence to control the second device, via a wireless transmission using the at least one antenna, corresponding to at least one of the control gestures to be performed by the first device.

90. A computer-program product for communicating control information by a wearable device, comprising a computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable to:

determine an agreed upon set of control gestures between first and second devices, wherein the control gestures are performable using the first device and are supportable by the second device; and

participate in a control sequence to control the second device via a wireless transmission corresponding to at least one of the control gestures to be performed using the first device.