User Gesture Input to Wearable Electronic Device Involving Movement of Device

• US 20140139454A1
• Filed: 08/30/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Mistry, Pranav, Sadi, Sajid, Yao, Lining, Snavely, John
• Granted Patent: US 10,185,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• 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: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

In one embodiment, a wearable computing device includes one or more sensors, one or more processors, and a memory coupled to the processors that includes instructions executable by the processors. When executing the instructions, the processors detect, by one or more of the sensors of the wearable computing device when worn on a limb of a user, a gesture-recognition-activation event associated with the wearable computing device; detect, by one or more sensors of the wearable computing device when worn on the limb of the user, a movement of the limb; determine a gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement; and process the gesture as input to the computing wearable computing device.

Claims

1. A wearable computing device comprising:

one or more sensors;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors and comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

detect, by one or more of the sensors of the wearable computing device when worn on a limb of a user, a gesture-recognition-activation event associated with the wearable computing device;

detect, by one or more sensors of the wearable computing device when worn on the limb of the user, a movement of the limb;

determine a gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement; and

process the gesture as input to the computing wearable computing device.

2. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises an initial orientation of the wearable computing device.

3. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the orientation comprises a gravity vector associated with the wearable computing device.

4. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises an orientation of an object captured by an optical sensor of the wearable computing device.

5. The wearable computing device of claim 4, wherein the object comprises an arm or hand of the user.

6. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises a motion or lack of motion of the wearable computing device.

7. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises input from the user on a touch-sensitive display of the wearable computing device.

8. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises a power setting of the wearable computing device.

9. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

determine an orientation of the limb; and

determine the gesture based at least in part on the orientation of the limb.

10. The wearable computing device of claim 9, wherein the processors operable when executing the instructions to determine the gesture based at least in part on the orientation of the limb comprise processors operable when executing the instructions to determine the gesture based at least in part on:

an initial orientation of the limb; and

a subsequent orientation of the limb.

11. The wearable computing device of claim 10, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

detect a lack of movement of the limb; and

determine the gesture based at least in part on the lack of movement.

12. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement comprises determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on a duration of the movement.

13. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement comprises determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on an acceleration of the movement.

14. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement comprises determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on a distance of the movement.

15. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to determine the gesture based at least in part on a setting specified by a software application associated with the wearable computing device.

16. The wearable computing device of claim 1, comprising:

a device body comprising;

a touch-sensitive display;

a rotatable element about the touch-sensitive display; and

an encoder for detecting rotation of the rotatable element;

a band for affixing the device body to the user; and

the one or more sensors, at least one of the sensors comprising an optical sensor in or on the band communicably coupled to the touch-sensitive display.

17. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

detect, by one or more sensors of a wearable computing device worn on a limb of a user, a gesture-recognition-activation event associated with the wearable computing device;

detect, by one or more sensors of the wearable computing device worn on the limb of the user, a movement of the limb;

determine a gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement; and

process the gesture as input to the wearable computing device.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises an initial orientation of the wearable computing device.

19. The media of claim 17, wherein the orientation comprises a gravity vector associated with the wearable computing device.

20. The media of claim 17, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises an orientation of an object captured by an optical sensor of the wearable computing device.

21. The media of claim 20, wherein the object comprises an arm or hand of the user.

22. The media of claim 17, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises a motion or lack of motion of the wearable computing device.

23. The media of claim 17, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises input from the user on a touch-sensitive display of the wearable computing device.

24. The media of claim 17, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises a power setting of the wearable computing device.

25. The media of claim 17, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

determine an orientation of the limb; and

determine the gesture based at least in part on the orientation of the limb.

26. The media of claim 25, wherein the software that is operable when executed to determine the gesture based at least in part on the orientation of the limb comprises software that is operable when executed to determine the gesture based at least in part on:

an initial orientation of the limb; and

a subsequent orientation of the limb.

27. The media of claim 26, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

detect, by one or more sensors of the wearable computing device worn on the limb of the user, a lack of movement of the limb; and

determine the gesture based at least in part on the lack of movement.

28. The media of claim 17, wherein determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement comprises determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on a duration of the movement.

29. The media of claim 17, wherein determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement comprises determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on an acceleration of the movement.

30. The media of claim 17, wherein determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement comprises determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on a distance of the movement.

31. The media of claim 17, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

determine the gesture based at least in part on a setting specified by a software application associated with the wearable computing device.

32. The media of claim 17, wherein the wearable computing device comprises:

a device body comprising;

a touch-sensitive display;

a rotatable element about the touch-sensitive display; and

an encoder for detecting rotation of the rotatable element;

a band for affixing the device body to the user; and

the one or more sensors, at least one of the sensors comprising an optical sensor in or on the band communicably coupled to the touch-sensitive display.

33. A method comprising:

detecting, by one or more sensors of a wearable computing device worn on a limb of a user, a gesture-recognition-activation event associated with the wearable computing device;

detecting, by one or more sensors of the wearable computing device worn on the limb of the user, a movement of the limb;

determining, by the wearable computing device, a gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement; and

processing, by the wearable computing device, the gesture as input to the computing device.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises an initial orientation of the wearable computing device.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the orientation comprises a gravity vector associated with the wearable computing device.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises an orientation of an object captured by an optical sensor of the wearable computing device.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the object comprises an arm or hand of the user.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises a motion or lack of motion of the wearable computing device.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises input from the user on a touch-sensitive display of the wearable computing device.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein the gesture-recognition-activation event comprises a power setting of the wearable computing device.

41. The method of claim 33, further comprising determining, by the wearable computing device, an orientation of the limb, wherein the gesture is further determined based at least in part on the orientation of the limb.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the determining an orientation of the limb comprises:

determining an initial orientation of the limb; and

determining a subsequent orientation of the limb.

43. The method of claim 33, further comprising detecting, by the sensor, a lack of movement of the limb, wherein the gesture is further determined based at least in part on the lack of movement.

44. The method of claim 33, wherein determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement comprises determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on a duration of the movement.

45. The method of claim 33, wherein determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement comprises determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on an acceleration of the movement.

46. The method of claim 33, wherein determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on the movement comprises determining the gesture made by the user based at least in part on a distance of the movement.

47. The method of claim 33, wherein the gesture is further determined based at least in part on a setting specified by a software application associated with the wearable computing device.

48. The method of claim 33, wherein the wearable computing device comprises:

a device body comprising;

a touch-sensitive display;

a rotatable element about the touch-sensitive display; and

an encoder for detecting rotation of the rotatable element;

a band for affixing the device body to the user; and

the one or more sensors, at least one of the sensors comprising an optical sensor in or on the band communicably coupled to the touch-sensitive display.