WEARABLE DEVICE FOR USING HUMAN BODY AS INPUT MECHANISM

• US 20160018948A1
• Filed: 02/09/2015
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Parvarandeh, Pirooz, Doy, Anthony Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 10,234,952 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386

Abstract

The invention relates to wearable devices for sensing gestures. A watch, which is a wearable device, includes an ultrasonic system that has an ultrasonic transducer and one or more sensors and measures the location of a finger on the back of the user'"'"'s hand. Using the ultrasonic system, it is possible to use the back of the hand as an extension to the screen display of the watch. The watch can be used as a motion detector and interface with various types of mobile devices, such as computerized eyeglass. The watch can also function as a generic input mechanism for various types of devices, such as tablet, TV, or laptop computer, where these devices are coupled to the watch via a suitable communication system, such as Bluetooth® interconnection system.

Claims

1. A wearable device, comprising:

a display;

a transmitter for sending a signal;

a set of sensors for detecting the signal reflected from a first finger and generating output signals; and

a signal processor for processing the output signals to map a position of the first finger on the display.

2. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a first conductive patch,

wherein the position of the first finger is displayed on the display when a second finger touches the first conductive patch.

3. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, wherein the signal processor determines the position of the first finger based on a time interval for the signal to travel from the transmitter to the set of sensors.

4. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an other transmitter for sending an other signal; and

an other set of sensors for detecting the other signal reflected from a third finger and generating other output signals;

wherein the signal processor is adapted to process the other output signals and map a position of the third finger on the display.

5. A wearable device as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

a first conductive patch,

wherein the position of the third finger is displayed on the display when a second finger touches the first conductive patch.

6. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, wherein the set of sensors is adapted to receive an other signal reflected by a second finger and generate other output signals and wherein the signal processor is adapted to control an image on the display based on a distance between the first and second fingers.

7. A wearable device as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

a second conductive patch electrically connected to the first patch and adapted to directly contact a skin of a user wearing the wearable device.

8. A wearable device as recited in claim 7, wherein, when the second finger of the user touches the first patch and the first finger of the user touches the skin of the user, an electrical path between the first finger and the second finger is closed.

9. A wearable device as recited in claim 8, wherein a click signal is generated when the electrical path is closed.

10. A wearable device as recited in claim 7, wherein an electrical capacitance changes as a tip of the first finger approaches the skin while the second finger touches the first conductive patch.

11. A wearable device as recited in claim 10, wherein a click signal is generated when a distance between the skin and the tip of the first finger is less than a present value.

12. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a substrate for mounting the transmitter thereto;

an outlet for sending the signal therethrough; and

a waveguide coupled to the transmitter and the outlet, where the signal travels from the transmitter to the outlet through the waveguide.

13. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a substrate for mounting the set of sensors thereto;

a set of inlets for receiving the signal reflected by the first finger therethrough; and

a set of waveguides coupled to the set of sensors and the set of inlets, where the signal received through the set of inlets travels from the set of inlets to the set of sensors through the set of waveguides.

14. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, wherein an eyeglass computer provides an image of a grid having multiple grid elements over an area and wherein the signal processor maps the position of the first finger to one of the multiple elements.

15. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a communication system for communicating data to an external device to thereby allow a user wearing the wearable device to control the external device by operating the wearable device.

16. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, wherein the signal includes one or more ultrasonic signals and the ultrasonic signals have a same carrier frequency.

17. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, wherein the signal includes one or more ultrasonic signals and the ultrasonic signals have different carrier frequencies.

18. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is an infrared (IR) source and each of the set of sensors is an IR sensor having angular sensitivity to determine an angular position of the first finger relative to a surface of the each sensor.

19. A wearable device as recited in claim 18, wherein an intensity of the signal reflected by the first finger is used to determine a distance between the wearable device and the first finger.

20. A wearable device as recited in claim 1, wherein the wearable device has a shape of a wrist watch.