Motion Sensitive Gesture Device

• US 20110080339A1
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: AFA Micro Co.
• Inventors: Chien, Hsin-Tang, Liao, Shyh-Shyan, Tseng, Shyh-Hong, Lo, Ying-Che, Sun, Chungming Glendy, Sun, Albert C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,717,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• 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 wireless wrist mouse, used with an apparatus including a display having a cursor, has a body mountable to a user'"'"'s hand/wrist by wrist mounting structure. A motion sensor and motion circuitry are carried by the body and are operably connected to one another. The motion circuitry includes a library of command motions. The motion circuitry is constructed to generate first and second command signals corresponding to the first and second command motions when the body has been moved in predetermined manners for receipt by and operation of the apparatus. The first command signals correspond to cursor movement directions for controlling movement of the cursor over the display. The second command signals correspond to control functions for the apparatus. In some examples, the motion sensor comprises a MEMS sensor. In some examples, the motion sensor comprises a translational, rotational, and vibrational movement motion sensor.

Claims

1. A wireless wrist mouse, for use with an apparatus of the type comprising a display having a cursor, comprising:

a body;

wrist mounting structure by which the body is mountable to a user at the user'"'"'s hand or at or near the user'"'"'s wrist;

a motion sensor carried by the body;

motion circuitry carried by the body and operably connected to the motion sensor, the motion circuitry comprising a library of command motions;

the library of command motions comprising first command motions and second command motions; and

the motion circuitry constructed to generate first and second command signals corresponding to the first and second command motions when the body has been moved in predetermined manners for receipt by and operation of an apparatus, the apparatus of the type comprising a display having a cursor, the first command signals corresponding to cursor movement directions for controlling movement of the cursor over the display, and the second command signals corresponding to control functions for the apparatus.

2. The wireless wrist mouse according to claim 1, wherein the command signals are computer command signals.

3. The wireless wrist mouse according to claim 1, wherein the motion sensor comprises a MEMS sensor.

4. The wireless wrist mouse according to claim 3, wherein the MEMS sensor is a three-axis MEMS motion sensor.

5. The wireless wrist mouse according to claim 3, wherein the MEMS sensor comprises at least a MEMS accelerometer.

6. The wireless wrist mouse according to claim 3, wherein the MEMS sensor comprises at least a MEMS gyroscope.

7. The wireless wrist mouse according to claim 1, wherein the motion sensor comprises a 6 degrees of freedom motion sensor for sensing movement of said motion sensor in 3 degrees of freedom in translation in linear space and 3 degrees of freedom in rotation in angular space.

8. The wireless wrist mouse of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor comprises a translational, rotational, and vibrational movement motion sensor.

9. The wireless wrist mouse of claim 1, wherein the second command signals comprise left-click, right-click and double-click command signals.

10. The wireless wrist mouse of claim 1, wherein the first command signals are lower frequency signals than the second command signals.

11. A method for controlling an apparatus using a wrist mouse, the apparatus comprising a display having a cursor, the method comprising:

mounting a wireless wrist mouse to a user at a chosen hand or at or near a chosen wrist of the user, the wrist mouse comprising a body, a motion sensor and motion circuitry, the motion sensor and motion circuitry carried by the body, the motion circuitry comprising a library of first and second command motions, the first command motions being command motions corresponding to cursor movement directions for controlling movement of the cursor over the display, and the second command motions being command motions corresponding to control functions for the apparatus;

moving the wrist mouse in a chosen manner;

sensing, by said motion sensor, said movement of the wrist mouse;

determining if the sensed movement corresponds to any of said command motions; and

if the sensed movement corresponds to any of said first command motions, then generate a cursor movement command signal corresponding to such first command motion for receipt by an apparatus causing a cursor on a display of the apparatus to move; and

if the sensed movement corresponds to any of said second command motions, then generate a control function command signal corresponding to such second command motion for receipt by the apparatus.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

if the sensed movement does not correspond to a command motion, then return to the sensing movement step.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the mounting step is carried out with a wireless computer wrist mouse.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the movement sensing is carried out using a MEMS motion sensor.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the movement sensing step comprises sensing said movement in 3 degrees of freedom in translation in linear space and 3 degrees of freedom in rotation in angular space.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the moving step comprises tapping the wrist mouse to create a second command motion.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said second command motion corresponds to a mouse left click.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein tapping the wrist mouse comprises tapping the chosen hand of the user on a surface.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the moving step comprises tapping the body of the wrist mouse.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the movement sensing step comprises sensing vibration created by said tapping.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein tapping the wrist mouse comprises a first tapping of the wrist mouse, pausing, followed by a second tapping of the wrist mouse.

22. The method according to claim 11, wherein the moving step comprises:

a first tapping sequence to the wrist mouse with the wrist mouse at a first location;

moving the wrist mouse to a second location; and

a second tapping sequence to the wrist mouse with the wrist mouse at the second location.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the first tapping sequence comprises at least one tap followed by a pause followed by at least one tap.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the first tapping sequence comprises at least one tap.

25. The method according to claim 11, further comprising training the wireless wrist mouse to recognize a command motion associated with a command signal.

26. The method according to claim 11, further comprising training a user to move the controller in a predetermined manner corresponding to said command motion.

27. The method according to claim 11, wherein:

mounting step is carried out with the body having a top and a bottom; and

the wrist mouse moving step comprises initially orienting the wrist mouse so that the top is generally horizontal with the top facing upwardly.

28. The method according to claim 11, wherein said command motion for a first command signal comprises clockwise motion of the wrist mouse, said motion exceeding one or both of a threshold velocity or a threshold acceleration.

29. The method according to claim 11, wherein said command motion for a second command signal comprises counterclockwise motion of the wrist mouse, said motion exceeding one or both of a threshold velocity or a threshold acceleration.

30. The method according to claim 11, wherein said command motion for a third command signal comprises movement of the wrist mouse away from the user generally parallel to the user'"'"'s forearm and hand, said motion exceeding one or both of a threshold velocity or a threshold acceleration.

31. The method according to claim 11, wherein said command motion for a fourth command signal comprises movement of the wrist mouse towards the user generally parallel to the user'"'"'s forearm and hand, said motion exceeding one or both of a threshold velocity or a threshold acceleration.

32. The method according to claim 11, wherein:

said command motion for a turn on wrist mouse command signal comprises clockwise motion of the wrist mouse, said motion exceeding one or both of a first threshold velocity or a first threshold acceleration;

said command motion for a turned off wrist mouse command signal comprises counterclockwise motion of the wrist mouse, said motion exceeding one or both of a second threshold velocity or a second threshold acceleration;

said command motion for a zoom in command signal comprises movement of the wrist mouse away from the user generally parallel to the user'"'"'s forearm and hand, said motion exceeding one or both of a third threshold velocity or a third threshold acceleration; and

said command motion for a zoom out command signal comprises movement of the wrist mouse towards the user generally parallel to the user'"'"'s forearm and hand, said motion exceeding one or both of a fourth threshold velocity or a fourth threshold acceleration.

33. A method for controlling an apparatus using a tap motion sensitive gesture device comprising:

supporting a tap motion sensitive gesture device with a chosen body part of a user, the gesture device comprising a body, a motion sensor and motion circuitry, the motion sensor and motion circuitry carried by the body, the motion circuitry comprising a library of command motions;

moving the gesture device in a chosen manner;

the moving step comprising tapping the gesture device to create vibrational movement of the gesture device;

sensing, by said motion sensor, said vibrational movement of the gesture device;

the movement sensing step comprising sensing vibration created by said tapping;

determining if the sensed vibrational movement corresponds to any of said command motions; and

if the sensed vibrational movement corresponds to said any of said command motions, then generate a command signal corresponding to such command motion for receipt by an apparatus.