Methods, Controllers and Computer Program Products for Accessibility to Computing Devices

• US 20150138068A1
• Filed: 05/02/2013
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corporation (University System of Georgia)
• Original Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corporation (University System of Georgia)
• Inventors: Howard, Ayanna, Berry, Brett, Devin, Justin Nicholas, Hsu, Po Kai, Jernigan, Tiffany, Johnson, William, Park, Hae Won, Valentin, Giancarlo, Yau, Siu Chuen
• Granted Patent: US 10,281,986 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Methods of providing user accessibility to an electronic device are provided. Methods include receiving a physical input via at least one user input device in a user interface, generating, in the user interface, a sensor output signal responsive to receiving the physical input from the user, and interpreting the sensor output signal as a gesture input signal that that is received by the electronic device. The gesture input signal is operative to cause the electronic device to perform a function corresponding to a gesture that is physically applied to the electronic device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing accessibility to an electronic device, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of user input devices, ones of which are configured to receive a physical input from a user and to generate a sensor output signal responsive to receiving the input from the user;

a processing device that is configured to receive one or more of the sensor output signals and to interpret the one or more received sensor output signals as a gesture input signal that is received by the electronic device; and

a sensor module that includes an interface housing that is configured to receive the plurality of user input devices and to be worn by the user.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein ones of the plurality of user input devices comprise a force sensitive input device that is configured to provide the respective sensor output signal as a variable value that corresponds to an amount of physical input force applied to the force sensitive input device by the user.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the force sensitive device comprises a force sensitive resistor that is configured to have an electrical resistance that changes responsive to changes in physical force applied thereto.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a voltage divider circuit that comprises the force sensitive resistor therein and that is coupled to an analog input of the processing device, wherein as the physical force is applied to the force sensitive resistor a voltage value applied to the analog input of the processing device coupled to the voltage divider circuit changes responsive thereto.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein ones of the plurality of user input devices comprise at least one of a joystick, track-ball, slam switch or a sip and puff switch.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an adjustable sleeve that is configured to be worn on one of an upper limb or a lower limb of a user and that supports the sensor module and the processing device.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interface housing comprises a curved base and a plurality of openings that are configured to receive corresponding ones of the plurality of user input devices.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of openings include edges that are substantially a same height as a contact surface of corresponding ones of the plurality of user input devices when the plurality of user input devices are mounted therein.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication transmitter that is communicatively coupled to the processing device and that is configured to wirelessly transmit, the gesture input signal to be received by the electronic device.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interface housing comprises connection ports configured to be coupled to an external input device.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of user input devices comprise a first input device and a second input device,

wherein the processing device comprises a first input to detect a first value generated by the first input device and a second input to detect a second value generated by the second input device,

wherein the processing device comprises:

logic to detect a first user input that corresponds to the first value exceeding a threshold value and a second user input that corresponds to the second value exceeding the threshold value, and

logic to generate a swipe gesture input signal responsive to detecting that the first user input and the second user input are detected in sequence.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the swipe gesture input signal comprises a forward swipe gesture input signal responsive to the first user input being detected before the second user input, and

wherein the swipe gesture input signal comprises a backward swipe gesture input signal responsive to the second user input being detected before the first user input.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of user input devices comprise a first input device and a second input device,

wherein the processing device comprises a first input to detect a first value generated by the first input device and a second input to detect a second value generated by the second input device,

wherein the processing device comprises:

logic to detect a first user input that corresponds to the first value exceeding a threshold value and a second user input that corresponds to the second value exceeding the threshold value,

logic to generate a first function selection gesture input signal responsive to detecting that the first user input is detected,

logic to generate a second function selection gesture input signal responsive to detecting that the second user input is detected,

logic to estimate a time interval between at least two of a first user input start time, a second user input start time, a first user input stop time and a second user stop time.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the logic is configured to identify whether the first user input and the second user input correspond to an input sequence.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of feedback devices corresponding to the plurality of user input devices, ones of the plurality of feedback devices configured to provide a tactile feedback to a user corresponding to receiving the physical input from the user.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a computer tablet device that is configured to wirelessly receive the gesture input signal, and

wherein the computer tablet device comprises computer readable program code stored therein that, when executed by a processor in the computer tablet device, interprets the received gesture input signal to control the computer tablet device.

17. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer code comprising;

computer readable code to generate, in an electronic device, a graphical user interface that visually corresponds to an arrangement of a plurality of user input devices in a wearable user interface that interprets user interaction with the wearable user interface as gesture input signals received by the electronic device; and

computer readable code to interpret received gesture input signals to control the electronic device via the graphical user interface.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the wearable user interface comprises an array of the plurality of user input devices arranged in an input layout pattern,

wherein the computer readable code to generate, in the electronic device, the graphical user interface comprises computer readable code to generate a graphical representation that includes the input layout pattern.

19. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the computer readable code to interpret received gesture input signals to control the electronic device comprises computer readable code to interpret that the gesture input signal corresponds to actuation of one of the plurality of user input devices, further comprising computer readable code to execute an operation that corresponds to the one of the plurality of user input devices.

20. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the computer readable code to interpret received gesture input signals to control the electronic device comprises computer readable code to interpret that the gesture input signal that corresponds to a sequence of actuation of more than one of the plurality of user input devices, the sequence being interpreted as a swipe gesture, further comprising computer readable code to execute an operation that corresponds to the swipe gesture.

21. The computer program according to claim 20, wherein an order of the actuation of the more than one of the plurality of input devices identifies the sequence as corresponding to either a forward swipe or a reverse swipe.

22. The computer program according to claim 20,

wherein the plurality of user input devices in the wearable user interface comprise three user input devices that are arranged in a row in the wearable user interface,

wherein the graphical user interface that visually corresponds to the arrangement of the plurality of user input devices in the wearable user interface comprises a graphical representation of a plurality of rows of graphically generated buttons, each of the plurality of rows of graphically generated buttons comprising three graphically generated buttons corresponding to the three user input devices, and

wherein the computer readable code that executes the operation corresponding to the swipe gesture comprises computer readable code to change which of the plurality of rows of graphically generated buttons is highlighted responsive to a forward swipe or a backward swipe.

23. The computer program according to claim 17, further comprising computer readable code to generate mobile device commands that are responsive to gesture input signals received by the electronic device and that are configured to be received by a remote mobility device that is operable to move responsive to receipt of the mobile device commands.

24. The computer program according to claim 23, wherein the remote mobility device comprises a robot and wherein the graphical user interface comprises a robot control application.

25. A system for providing accessibility to an electronic device, the system comprising:

a wireless user interface for providing accessibility to the electronic device, the wireless user interface comprising;

a plurality of user input devices, ones of which are configured to receive a physical input from a user and to generate a sensor output signal responsive to receiving the physical input from the user;

a processing device that is configured to receive one or more of the sensor output signals and to interpret the one or more received sensor output signals as a gesture input signal that is received by the electronic device; and

an interface housing that is configured to receive the plurality of user input devices; and

a computer program product comprising;

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer code comprising;

computer readable code to generate, in the electronic device, a graphical user interface that visually corresponds to an arrangement of the plurality of user input devices in a wireless user interface that interprets user interaction with the wireless user interface as gesture input signals received by the electronic device;

computer readable code to interpret received gesture input signals to control the electronic device via the graphical user interface.

26. A method of providing user accessibility to an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving a physical input via at least one user input device in a user interface;

generating, in the user interface, a sensor output signal responsive to receiving the physical input from the user; and

interpreting the sensor output signal as a gesture input signal that that is received by the electronic device, the gesture input signal being operative to cause the electronic device to perform a function corresponding to a gesture that is physically applied to the electronic device.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein generating the sensor output signal comprises generating a variable value that corresponds to an amount of physical input force is applied to the at least one user input device.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the at least one user input device comprises a force sensitive resistor that is configured to have an electrical resistance that changes responsive to changes in physical force applied thereto.

29. The method according to claim 26, further comprising wirelessly transmitting the gesture input signal from the user interface to the electronic device.