CONTROL OF REMOTE DEVICE BASED ON GESTURES

• US 20130265229A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: FORUTANPOUR, Babak, BALASUBRAMANYAM, Shivakumar, FARLEY, Richard O.
• Granted Patent: US 9,170,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• 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: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 21/00 Systems for transmitting the position of an object with respect to a predetermined reference system, e.g. tele-autographic system
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed toward controlling electronic devices based on hand gestures detected by detecting the topography of a portion of a user'"'"'s body. For example, pressure data indicative of a user'"'"'s bone and tissue position corresponding to a certain movement, position, and/or pose of a user'"'"'s hand may be detected. An electromyographic (EMG) sensor coupled to the user'"'"'s skin can also be used to determine gestures made by the user. These sensors can be coupled to a camera that can be used to capture images, based on recognized gestures, of a device. The device can then be identified and controlled.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a device based on hand gestures, the system comprising:

a pressure-sensitive sensor configured to detect a topography of a portion of a body of a user and provide pressure data to a processing module;

the processing module configured to identify a gesture associated with the topography of the portion of the body of the user based on the pressure data; and

a transmitter configured to transmit information to the device based on the identified gesture.

2. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 1, wherein:

the portion of the body of the user is a back of a hand of the user; and

the pressure-sensitive sensor is configured to detect the topography of the back of the hand as affected by metacarpal position.

3. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 1, wherein:

the portion of the body of the user is a wrist of the user; and

the pressure-sensitive sensor is configured to detect the topography of at least a portion of the wrist.

4. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 1, further comprising:

a motion sensor configured to detect motion of the user and transmit motion data to the processing module.

5. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 4, wherein:

the processing module is further configured to identify the gesture using the motion data.

6. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 4, wherein the motion sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

7. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 1, wherein the portion of the body of the user comprises a forearm of the user.

8. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 1, further comprising an electromyographic sensor.

9. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 1, further comprising a camera, wherein the processing module is configured to identify the device using an image of the device captured by the camera.

10. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 9, wherein the processing module is configured to cause the camera to capture the image of the device based on a certain gesture identified using certain pressure data from the pressure-sensitive sensor.

11. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 1, further comprising a receiver configured to receive, from the device, information indicative of commands for controlling the device using hand gestures.

12. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 1, further comprising a second pressure-sensitive sensor configured to detect a topography of a second portion of the body of the user and provide second pressure data to the processing module, wherein the processing module is further configured to identify the gesture using the second pressure data.

13. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 1, wherein the identified gesture comprises a closed fist.

14. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 1, wherein the identified gesture comprises a finger touching a thumb.

15. The system for controlling the device based on hand gestures of claim 1, wherein the identified gesture comprises a wrist being flexed such that the hand moves up, down, left, or right.

16. A method for controlling a device based on gestures, the method comprising:

collecting pressure data that indicates a topography of a portion of a body of a user;

identifying a gesture associated with the topography of the portion of the body of the user based on the pressure data; and

transmitting information to the device based on the identified gesture.

17. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 16, wherein:

the portion of the body of the user is a back of a hand of the user; and

the collecting comprises collecting the pressure data using a pressure-sensitive sensor configured to collect the pressure data that indicates the topography of the back of the hand as affected by metacarpal position.

18. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 16, wherein:

the portion of the body of the user is a wrist of the user; and

the collecting comprises collecting the pressure data using a pressure-sensitive sensor configured to collect the pressure data that indicates the topography of at least a portion of the wrist.

19. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 16, further comprising detecting motion of the user.

20. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 19, wherein identifying the gesture is further based on the detected motion.

21. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 19, further comprising detecting the motion of the user with at least one of an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

22. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 16, wherein the portion of the body of the user comprises a forearm of the user.

23. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 16, wherein identifying the gesture is further based on information from an electromyographic sensor.

24. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 16, further comprising capturing an image of the device with a camera.

25. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 24 wherein capturing the image of the device is based on a certain gesture identified using certain pressure data.

26. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 16, further comprising collecting second pressure data from a second portion of the body, wherein identifying the gesture is further based on the second pressure data.

27. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 16, wherein the identified gesture comprises a closed fist.

28. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 16, wherein the identified gesture comprises a finger touching a thumb.

29. The method for controlling the device based on gestures of claim 16, wherein the identified gesture comprises a wrist being flexed such that the hand moves up, down, left, or right.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions embedded thereon for controlling a device based on gestures, the instructions including computer-executable code for:

collecting pressure data that indicates a topography of a portion of a body of a user;

identifying a gesture associated with the topography of the portion of the body of the user based on the pressure data; and

transmitting information to the device based on the identified gesture.

31. A system for controlling a device based on gestures, the system comprising:

means for collecting pressure data that indicates a topography of a portion of a body of a user;

means for identifying a gesture associated with the topography of the portion of the body of the user based on the pressure data; and

means for transmitting information to the device based on the identified gesture.

32. The system for controlling a device based on gestures of claim 31, wherein the means for identifying the gesture includes means for identifying the gesture associated with the topography of a back of a hand of the user.

33. The system for controlling a device based on gestures of claim 31, wherein the means for identifying the gesture includes means for identifying the gesture associated with a wrist of the user.

34. The system for controlling a device based on gestures of claim 31, further comprising:

means for detecting motion of the user; and

means for further basing the identifying the gesture on the detected motion.

35. The system for controlling a device based on gestures of claim 31, wherein the means for identifying the gesture includes means for identifying the gesture associated with the topography of a forearm of the user.

36. The system for controlling a device based on gestures of claim 31, including means for further basing the identifying the gesture on information from an electromyographic sensor.

37. The system for controlling a device based on gestures of claim 31, further comprising means for capturing an image of the device.

38. The system for controlling a device based on gestures of claim 37, further comprising means for basing the capturing of the image of the device on a certain gesture identified using certain pressure data.

39. The system for controlling a device based on gestures of claim 31, further comprising means for collecting second pressure data from a second portion of the body, wherein identifying the gesture is further based on the second pressure data.

40. The system for controlling a device based on gestures of claim 31, wherein the means for identifying the gesture comprise means for identifying a closed fist.

41. The system for controlling a device based on gestures of claim 31, wherein the means for identifying the gesture comprise means for identifying a finger touching a thumb.

42. The system for controlling a device based on gestures of claim 31, wherein the means for identifying the gesture comprise means for identifying the flexing a wrist such that the hand moves up, down, left, or right.