TOUCHLESS INTERFACES
First Claim
1. A method of estimating the shape and/or position of an object using a device comprising one or more transmitters and one or more receivers, forming a set of at least two transmitter-receiver combinations, said method comprising:
- transmitting signals from the transmitter(s), said signals travelling through air to the object, being reflected by the object and received by the receiver(s);
determining a subset of the transmitter-receiver combinations which give rise to a received signal meeting a predetermined clarity criterion; and
estimating positions for a plurality of points on said object using substantially only signals from said subset of combinations.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The shape or position of an object is estimated using a device comprising one or more transmitters and one or more receivers, forming a set of at least two transmitter-receiver combinations. Signals are transmitted from the transmitters, through air, to the object. They are reflected by the object and received by the receivers. A subset of the transmitter-receiver combinations which give rise to a received signal meeting a predetermined clarity criterion is determined. The positions of points on the object are estimated using substantially only signals from the subset of combinations.
36 Citations
82 Claims
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1. A method of estimating the shape and/or position of an object using a device comprising one or more transmitters and one or more receivers, forming a set of at least two transmitter-receiver combinations, said method comprising:
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transmitting signals from the transmitter(s), said signals travelling through air to the object, being reflected by the object and received by the receiver(s); determining a subset of the transmitter-receiver combinations which give rise to a received signal meeting a predetermined clarity criterion; and estimating positions for a plurality of points on said object using substantially only signals from said subset of combinations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A device configured to estimate the shape and/or position of an object, the device comprising:
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one or more transmitters and one or more receivers forming a set of at least two transmitter-receiver combinations, said transmitters being arranged to transmit signals; means for determining a subset of the transmitter-receiver combinations which give rise to a received signal meeting a predetermined clarity criterion; and means for estimating positions for a plurality of points on said object using substantially only signals from said subset of combinations. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A computer software product configured, when run on a device comprising one or more transmitters and one or more receivers, forming a set of at least two transmitter-receiver combinations, to operate the device to estimate the shape and/or position of an object, the software product comprising:
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instructions for transmitting signals from the transmitter(s); logic for determining a subset of the transmitter-receiver combinations which give rise to a received signal meeting a predetermined clarity criterion; and logic for estimating positions for a plurality of points on said object using substantially only signals from said subset of combinations.
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- 31. A handheld device comprising a plurality of acoustic transducers as part of a user interface, said transducers being arranged in at least two parallel rows.
- 46. A method of operating a handheld device comprising a plurality of acoustic transducers arranged in at least two parallel rows, the method comprising using acoustic signals transmitted from and/or received by said transducers to estimate the shape and/or position of an object, and/or to characterise the motion of an object.
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49. A computer software product configured, when run on a handheld device comprising a plurality of acoustic transducers arranged in at least two parallel rows, to use acoustic signals transmitted from and/or received by said transducers to estimate the shape and/or position of an object, and/or to characterise the motion of an object.
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50. Apparatus for characterising the shape, location or motion of an object, comprising:
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a display screen; a transmitting surface comprising the display screen, or being disposed in substantially overlapping relationship with the display screen, and arranged to transmit an acoustic signal from substantially all of its surface; a receiver arranged to receive a reflection of the acoustic signal from an object which is directly in front of the display screen; and means for characterising the shape, location or motion of the object using information determined from the received signal. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72)
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73. A method of characterising the shape, location or motion of an object, comprising:
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transmitting an acoustic signal from a transmitting surface, the transmitting surface comprising a display screen or being disposed in substantially overlapping relationship with a display screen; receiving a reflection of the signal from an object which is directly in front of the display screen; and characterising the shape, location or motion of the object using information determined from the received signal. - View Dependent Claims (74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82)
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Specification