CONTROL SIGNAL INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD USING POSTURE RECOGNITION

• US 20120127070A1
• Filed: 09/02/2011
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: PARK, Jun Seok, RYOO, Dong Wan
• Application Number:
  US13/224,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127070A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• 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

Provided are a control signal input device and method using posture recognition. More particularly, the present invention relates to a control signal input device including: a database unit storing predetermined system control commands corresponding to postures of combinations of one or more of an arm, a wrist, and fingers of a user; a sensing unit sensing a posture of a combination of the arm, wrist, and fingers of the user; and a control signal generating unit extracting a system control command corresponding to the sensed result of the sensing unit from the database unit and generating a control signal for controlling the system, and a control signal input method using the same.

Claims

1. A control signal input device for controlling a system, comprising:

a database unit storing predetermined system control commands corresponding to postures of combinations of one or more of an arm, a wrist, and fingers of a user;

a sensing unit sensing a posture of a combination of the arm, wrist, and fingers of the user; and

a control signal generating unit extracting a system control command corresponding to the sensed result of the sensing unit from the database unit and generating a control signal for controlling the system.

2. The control signal input device according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensing unit includes

a first sensor unit sensing a rolling posture of the arm of the user,

a second sensor unit sensing a posture of the wrist of the user, and

a third sensor unit sensing a posture of the fingers of the user.

3. The control signal input device according to claim 2, wherein:

the first sensor unit includes

an inertial sensor unit having at least one gyro sensor or acceleration sensor, and

an arm gesture computing unit computing a signal for controlling the system from the rolling posture of the arm of the user sensed by the inertial sensor unit.

4. The control signal input device according to claim 3, wherein:

the inertial sensor unit senses the rolling posture of the arm of the user by using one or more of an angular velocity value of the gyro sensor, a tilt value of the acceleration sensor, and an acceleration value of the acceleration sensor.

5. The control signal input device according to claim 4, wherein:

the sensed result of the sensing unit is generated by combining a rolling value of the arm of the user sensed by the inertial sensor unit, a posture value of the wrist of the user sensed by the second sensor unit, and a posture value of the fingers of the user sensed by the third sensor unit.

6. The control signal input device according to claim 2, wherein:

the second sensor unit includes

a proximity sensor array unit formed by arranging at least one proximity sensor, and

a wrist gesture computing unit computing a signal for controlling the system from a signal according to the posture of the wrist of the user sensed by the proximity sensor array unit.

7. The control signal input device according to claim 2, wherein:

the third sensor unit includes

a contact sensor unit formed of a piezoelectric sensor or a vibration sensor for sensing a motion of wrist muscles according to a posture of the fingers of the user, and

a finger gesture computing unit computing a signal for controlling the system from a signal according to the posture of the fingers of the user sensed by the contact sensor unit.

8. The control signal input device according to claim 1, wherein:

the control signal generating unit includes

a feedback signal generating unit generating the control signal, generating a touch sensation signal corresponding to the control signal at the same time, and feeding the touch sensation signal back to the user.

9. The control signal input device according to claim 1, wherein:

the control signal generating unit includes

a wire/wireless transmitting unit transmitting the control signal in a wire/wireless manner.

10. The control signal input device according to claim 1, wherein:

the control signal input device is formed in an arm-band type to be wearable on the wrist of the user.

11. A control signal input method for controlling a system comprising:

(a) building a database with system control commands corresponding to postures of combinations of one or more of an arm, a wrist, and fingers of a user stored therein;

(b) sensing postures of the arm, wrist, and fingers of the user; and

(c) extracting a system control command corresponding to the sensed result, and generating a control signal for controlling the system.

12. The control signal input method according to claim 11, wherein:

the (b) includes;

(b1) measuring a rolling posture of the arm of the user;

(b2) measuring motions of the wrist and fingers of the user; and

(b3) generating one sensed result by combining the measurement results of the (b1) and the (b2).

13. The control signal input method according to claim 12, wherein:

in the (b1),

a tilt value or an acceleration value of an acceleration sensor according to rolling of the arm is measured by using the acceleration sensor, or an angular velocity value according to the rolling of the arm is measured by using a gyro sensor.

14. The control signal input method according to claim 11, wherein:

the (c) further includes generating a touch sensation signal corresponding to the control signal at the same time as the control signal is generated.

15. The control signal input method according to claim 11, further comprising:

(d) transmitting the control signal to the system in a wire or wireless manner and transmitting the touch sensation signal to the user after the (c).