EQUIPMENT AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION TERMINAL

• US 20130229267A1
• Filed: 04/12/2013
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: NOVAK, YAROSLAV
• Granted Patent: US 8,736,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/12.5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3855 carried in a belt or harness

Abstract

A sensor pad (105) is adapted to be worn and operated by a user (100) to control a separate wireless communication terminal (103) carried by the user. The sensor pad includes a plurality of discrete sensors each operable to produce an indication signal indicating proximity of a user'"'"'s finger to the sensor and a controller, responsive to receipt of indication signals from a plurality of the sensors, to produce a control signal for delivery to the wireless communication terminal to produce selection of a functional operation of the wireless communication terminal. Also described is a terminal for use with the sensor pad and also equipment and a method of operation.

Claims

1. A sensor pad to be worn by a user and operated by the user to control a separate wireless communication terminal carried by the user, the sensor pad comprising;

a plurality of discrete sensors formed in a two-dimensional matrix, each sensor operable to produce an indication signal indicating proximity of the user'"'"'s finger to the sensor;

a controller configured to, responsive to receipt of indication signals from a plurality of the sensors comprising one of (i) all sensors in a single row of the two-dimensional matrix, (ii) all sensors in a single column of the two-dimensional matrix, and (iii) all sensors diagonally from one corner of the two-dimensional matrix to an opposite corner of the two-dimensional matrix, produce a corresponding control signal to control a function of the wireless communication terminal.

2. The sensor pad according to claim 1, including a flexible substrate holding the sensors and the controller.

3. The sensor pad according to claim 2, wherein the flexible substrate is made of a woven fabric material.

4. The sensor pad according to claim 2, wherein the sensors are incorporated in the substrate and are operable to detect proximity of a user'"'"'s fingers when adjacent to a first face of the substrate and the controller is held on a second face of the substrate.

5. The sensor pad according to claim 1 wherein the controller is operable to detect when a selected plurality of the sensors have produced an indication signal and to produce a control signal in response to the detection.

6. The sensor pad according to claim 5 wherein the controller is operable to produce different control signals when different selected pluralities of the sensors produce an indication signal.

7. The sensor pad according to claim 1 wherein the controller is operable to detect when each of a selected plurality of the sensors have produced an indication signal in sequence and to produce a control signal in response to the detection.

8. The sensor pad according to claim 1 wherein each of the sensors is selected from the following:

(i) an electro-mechanical actuator which operates by being pressed by a user'"'"'s finger;

(ii) a device which produces a change in an electrical property of a pressure sensitive material when pressed by a user'"'"'s finger;

(iii) a device which produces a change in an electrical property when it senses touch of a user'"'"'s finger; and

(iv) a device which detects the presence of a complementary device carried by a user'"'"'s finger.

9. The sensor pad according to claim 8 wherein each of the sensors is a device which detects the presence of a complementary device carried by a user'"'"'s finger and the sensor and the complementary device is selected from:

(a) a radiation source and a corresponding radiation detector; and

(b) a device producing a magnetic field and a detector which is operable to detect the magnetic field.

10. The sensor pad according to claim 9 wherein each of the sensors comprises a Hall effect detector which is operable to detect a magnetic field produced by a corresponding magnet held by the user.

18. The sensor pad according to claim 1, further comprising a short range radio frequency (RF) transceiver for communicating with the wireless communication terminal.

20. The sensor pad according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a particular sequence in which all sensors in one of the (i) row, (ii) column, and (iii) diagonal were indicated, and to produce the corresponding control signal reflective of the particular sequence.

11. A sensor pad to be worn by a user and operated by the user to control a separate wireless communication terminal carried by the user, the sensor pad comprising:

a plurality of discrete sensors formed in a two-dimensional matrix, each sensor operable to produce an indication signal indicating proximity of a complementary input device to the sensor;

a controller configured to, responsive to receipt of indication signals from a plurality of the sensors comprising one of (i) all sensors in a single row of the two-dimensional matrix, (ii) all sensors in a single column of the two-dimensional matrix, and (iii) all sensors diagonally from one corner of the two-dimensional matrix to an opposite corner of the two-dimensional matrix, produce a corresponding control signal to control a function of the wireless communication terminal.

12. The sensor pad according to claim 11, wherein the complementary input device comprises a magnet and at least one of the plurality of discrete sensors comprises a Hall effect detector.

13. The sensor pad according to claim 11, wherein the complementary input device is disposed on an outer surface of at least one finger compartment of at least one glove worn by the user.

19. The wireless communication system according to claim 11,

the sensor pad further comprising a short range radio frequency (RF) transceiver for communicating with the wireless communication terminal;

and

the wireless communication terminal further comprising a short range RF transceiver for communicating with the sensor pad.

14. A wireless communication system comprising:

a sensor pad to be worn by a user and operated by the user to control a separate wireless communication terminal carried by the user, the sensor pad comprising;

a plurality of discrete sensors formed in a two-dimensional matrix, each sensor operable to produce an indication signal indicating proximity of an input to the sensor;

a controller configured to, responsive to receipt of indication signals from a plurality of the sensors comprising one of (i) all sensors in a single row of the two-dimensional matrix, (ii) ail sensors in a single column of the two-dimensional matrix, and (iii) all sensors diagonally from one corner of the two-dimensional matrix to an opposite corner of the two-dimensional matrix, produce a corresponding control signal to control a function of a wireless communication terminal,

the wireless communication terminal comprising;

a memory holding a table of functional operations of the wireless communication terminal corresponding to different sequences of control signals received from the sensor pad; and

,

a controller, operably coupled to the memory, configured to receive control signals from the sensor pad, to interpret each of the control signals received using the table in the memory, and to execute a corresponding functional operation of the terminal.

16. The wireless communication system according to claim 14, further comprising a jacket to be worn by the user, wherein the sensor pad and the wireless communication terminal are attached to or carried by the jacket.

21. The wireless communication system according to claim 14, wherein the sensor pad controller is further configured to determine a particular sequence in which all sensors in one of the (i) row, (ii) column, and (iii) diagonal were indicated, and to produce the corresponding control signal reflective of the particular sequence.

15. (canceled)

17. (canceled)