DEVICE FOR GESTURAL CONTROL OF A SYSTEM, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD

• US 20140368429A1
• Filed: 12/19/2012
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Movea
• Original Assignee: Movea
• Inventors: Soubeyrat, Cyrille, Aujay, Guillaume
• Granted Patent: US 9,874,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• 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 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A device (DISP) for gestural control of a system (SYST) includes a grippable mobile control element (TC), a movement sensor assembly (EC) for measuring movements of the mobile control element (TC), and a processing circuit (DET) for detection the rotation or translation of the mobile control element in relation to an axis that is substantially invariant over a time window. The device (DISP) also includes a circuit (REG) for adjusting the value of at least one parameter of the system, and a circuit (CMD) for controlling activation/deactivation of the adjustment upon a detection by the detection circuit (DET) of a rotation and/or translation of the mobile control element in relation to an axis that is substantially invariant over a time window.

Claims

1. A device for gestural control of a system, the device comprising:

a grippable mobile control element,

a movement sensor assembly adapted for measuring movements of said mobile control element,

a detection means for detecting a rotation or a translation of said mobile control element in relation to an axis that is substantially invariant over a time window,

adjustment means for adjusting a value of at least one parameter of said system, and

controlling means for controlling activation or deactivation of said adjustment means, the controlling means adapted for activating said adjustment means upon a detection by said detection means of a rotation or a translation of said mobile control element in relation to an axis that is substantially invariant over a time window.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detection means are adapted for detecting a rotation or a translation of said mobile control element in relation to a substantially invariant axis by comparing a parameter representative of the movement of said mobile control element with a threshold.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controlling means are adapted for activating different means from said adjustment means in the absence of detection by said detection means of a rotation or a translation of said mobile control element in relation to an axis which is substantially invariant over a time window.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means different from said adjustment means comprise means for recognizing gestures.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said detection means are adapted for modifying said threshold after at least one gesture having triggered the means for recognizing gestures, for which a maximum value of said representative parameter is not included in a span of percentages of values of said threshold.

6. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said detection means are adapted for modifying said threshold after detection of at least one gesture having activated the adjustment means, the duration of activation of the adjustment means being less than a limit duration.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said time window is a sliding window.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection means are adapted for determining the presence of a significant movement over said time window on the basis of a calculation of a value of a variable representative of said movement and of a comparison of said value with a threshold.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection means are adapted for delivering as output values of parameters characterizing said detected axis of rotation or translation.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said detection means are adapted for using a singular-value decomposition.

11. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said control means are adapted for associating the adjustment means with at least one parameter of the system as a function of said values of parameters characterizing said detected axis of rotation or translation, and of defined values corresponding to at least one predefined axis of rotation or translation.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

said detection means are further adapted for delivering as output a value of a parameter representative of an amplitude of the rotation or translation movement in relation to the detected axis, and

said control means are further adapted for controlling an intensity of adjustment on the at least one parameter of the system as a function of said amplitude or said amplitudes detected by said detection means.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said movement sensor assembly comprises first means of measurement of angular positions, angular speeds of rotation, or angular accelerations in relation to at least two axes.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said movement sensor assembly comprises second means of measurement of linear positions, linear speeds, or linear accelerations in relation to at least two axes.

15. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection means are adapted for using absolute values of data provided by said movement sensor assembly in place of said data.

16. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection means are adapted for detecting a rotation or a translation in relation to an axis that is substantially invariant over said time window on the basis of a calculation of a proportion of amplitudes of movements of each axis relative to an amplitude of overall movement.

17. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein said detection means are adapted for detecting a rotation or a translation in relation to an axis utilizing an average or a median in relation to each axis of the sensor assembly, and a comparison of a function of said average or median with an interval of values.

18. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said detection means are further adapted for:

calculating, over said time window, an average or a median or a low-pass filtering in relation to each axis, of angular speeds of rotation or of linear speeds;

calculating, over said window, a sum of absolute values of the axial averages;

calculating proportions by a ratio between the axial averages and said sum of the absolute values of the axial averages; and

delivering as output of tests, a first value if all said tests are positive, and a second value, different from the first value, otherwise.

19. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein said detection means are further adapted for testing whether each axial average is greater than an axial minimum threshold, and whether each axial average belongs to a value interval dependent on the detected axis.

20. The device as claimed in claims 18, wherein said detection means are, furthermore, adapted for applying a processing to said test output so as to improve the detection of single axis movement as a function of time.

21. The device as claimed in claim 20, wherein said processing comprises:

applying a low-pass filtering to said output of tests;

comparing output of the low-pass filtering with a minimum threshold; and

detecting a rotation of said sensor assembly in relation to a single axis when the output of the low-pass filtering exceeds said minimum threshold at least once during a current activation of said adjustment means.

22. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said detection means are further adapted for:

calculating, over said window, a statistical variance of the measurements, in relation to each axis of measurement of said first determination means; and

testing whether each axial statistical variance is less than an axial maximum threshold.

23. A method of gestural control for a system by using a grippable mobile control element and a movement sensor assembly adapted for measuring movements of said mobile control element, wherein a rotation or a translation of said mobile control element in relation to a substantially invariant axis is detected over a time window, a value of at least one parameter of said system being adjusted, and an activation or deactivation of said adjustment controlled so as to activate said adjustment upon a detection of a rotation or a translation of said mobile control element in relation to an axis which is substantially invariant over the time window.