GLOVE-BASED USER INTERFACE DEVICE

• US 20140055338A1
• Filed: 08/22/2012
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Edward P. Ryan
• Original Assignee: Edward P. Ryan
• Inventors: Ryan, Edward P.
• Application Number:
  US13/592,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20140055338A1
• 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

Abstract

Interface devices and methods of use include a flexible frame configured to be worn by a user; one or more sensor wire bundles, each including a plurality of sensor wires connected at one end to a control module. The control module is configured to measure electrical changes in the sensor wire bundles and further configured to indicate a direction and speed of motion of a part of the user'"'"'s body past the one or more sensor wire bundles based on the measured electrical changes in the sensor wire bundles.

Claims

1. An interface device, comprising:

a flexible frame configured to be worn by a user; and

one or more sensor wire bundles arranged in parallel on the frame, each comprising a plurality of sensor wires connected at one end to a control module,

wherein the control module is configured to measure electrical changes in the sensor wire bundles and further configured to indicate a direction and speed of motion of a part of the user'"'"'s body past the one or more sensor wire bundles based on the measured electrical changes in the sensor wire bundles.

2. The interface device of claim 1, comprising a plurality of sensor wire bundles, wherein each sensor wire bundle comprises an indexed set of sensor wires and wherein similarly indexed sensor wires from each bundle are electrically connected to one another.

3. The interface device of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensor terminals connected to the control module, wherein the control module is configured to measure electrical changes in the sensor terminals and further configured to indicate a function activation based on a proximity of a part of the user'"'"'s body to a sensor terminal based on the measured electrical changes in the sensor terminal.

4. The interface device of claim 1, further comprising a trigger terminal connected to the control module, wherein the control module is configured to apply a bias voltage to the thumb terminal that establishes a static charge at the trigger terminal.

5. The interface device of claim 4, wherein the control module measures current changes in the sensor wire bundles.

6. The interface device of claim 1, further comprising a thumb terminal including a magnet, wherein the sensor wires in the sensor wire bundles form loops connected to the control module at both ends and wherein the control module measures induced current in the loops.

7. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to compare the measured electrical changes to a threshold, such that the direction and speed of motion is only indicated if the electrical changes exceed the threshold.

8. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the sensor wires are electrically connected to the control module at a proximal end and are not electrically connected to anything at a distal end.

9. The interface device of claim 1,

wherein the sensor wires in the one or more sensor bundles are indexed;

and

wherein the control module is configured to determine a direction and speed of motion of a part of the user'"'"'s body past the one or more sensor wire bundles by determining an order and speed of electrical changes between indexed sensor wires.

10. The interface device of claim 9, wherein the control module is further configured to continue to indicate a direction and speed of motion after the user has stopped moving the body part past the one or more sensor wire bundles for a predetermined period of time.

11. An interface device, comprising:

a glove to be worn on a user'"'"'s hand;

one or more finger sensors, each running along a finger of the glove and each comprising a plurality of sensor wires connected at one end to a control module; and

one or more finger terminals, each located at a fingertip of the glove, connected to the control module,

wherein the control module is configured to measure electrical changes in the sensor wire bundles, to indicate a direction and speed of motion of the user'"'"'s thumb past the one or more finger sensors based on the measured electrical changes in the finger sensors, to measure electrical changes in the finger terminals, and to indicate a function activation based on a proximity of the user'"'"'s thumb to a finger terminal based on the measured electrical changes in the finger terminal.

12. The interface device of claim 11, comprising a plurality of finger sensors, wherein each finger sensor comprises an indexed set of sensor wires and wherein similarly indexed sensor wires from each bundle are electrically connected to one another.

13. The interface device of claim 11, further comprising a thumb terminal located at the tip of thumb of the glove and connected to the control module, wherein the control module is configured to apply a bias voltage to the thumb terminal that establishes a static charge at the thumb terminal.

14. The interface device of claim 13, wherein the control module measures current changes in the finger sensors and finger terminals.

15. The interface device of claim 11, wherein the control module is configured to compare the measured electrical changes to a threshold, such that the direction and speed of motion is only indicated if the electrical changes exceed the threshold.

16. The interface device of claim 11, wherein the finger sensors are electrically connected to the control module at a proximal end and are not electrically connected to anything at a distal end.

17. The interface device of claim 11,

wherein the sensor wires in the one or more finger sensors are indexed;

and

wherein the control module is configured to determine a direction and speed of motion of the user'"'"'s thumb past the one or more finger sensors by determining an order and speed of electrical changes between indexed sensor wires.

18. A method for measuring motion, comprising:

measuring an electrical change in one or more finger sensors in a glove-based interface device triggered by a motion of a user'"'"'s thumb past the one or more finger sensors;

determining an order and speed of electrical changes between indexed sensor wires in the one or more finger sensors; and

indicating a direction and speed of motion of the user'"'"'s thumb based on the order and speed of electrical changes using a processor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining an order and speed of electrical changes comprises comparing the measured electrical changes in said one or more finger sensors to a threshold, such that only measured electrical changes in excess of the threshold are considered.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

measuring an electrical change in one or more finger terminals in the glove-based interface device triggered by proximity of a user'"'"'s thumb to one of the one or more finger terminals; and

indicating a function activation based on a measured electrical change in one of the finger terminals in excess of a terminal threshold, said function activation being associated with the particular finger terminal measured.