Thumb Controller

• US 20160054797A1
• Filed: 10/17/2014
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tokubo, Todd, Umminger, Fred
• Granted Patent: US 10,055,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/013 Force feedback applied to a game
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• 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 3/0346 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

A glove interface object is provided, comprising: an index finger portion; a resistance circuit including an index resistor defined along a length of the index finger portion, and a power source for applying a current across the index resistor; a thumb portion; a probe circuit including a thumb contact defined on the thumb portion, the probe circuit configured to read a voltage, via the thumb contact, at a location along the length of the index resistor at which contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs; a data processing module for processing the voltage read by the probe circuit to generate thumb-index control data that is indicative of the location at which the contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs; a communications module configured to send the thumb-index control data to a computing device for processing to define a setting for a virtual environment.

Claims

1. A glove interface object, comprising:

an index finger portion;

a resistance circuit including an index resistor defined along a length of the index finger portion, and a power source for applying a current across the index resistor;

a thumb portion;

a probe circuit including a thumb contact defined on the thumb portion, the probe circuit configured to read a voltage, via the thumb contact, at a location along the length of the index resistor at which contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs;

a data processing module for processing the voltage read by the probe circuit to generate thumb-index control data that is indicative of the location along the length of the index resistor at which the contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs;

a communications module configured to send the thumb-index control data to a computing device for processing to define a setting for a virtual environment, the computing device being configured to generate and send image data and audio data to a head-mounted display (HMD) for processing to render the virtual environment on the HMD.

2. The glove interface object of claim 1, wherein the voltage read by the probe circuit varies based upon a location along a length of the index resistor at which the contact occurs.

3. The glove interface object of claim 2, wherein the length of the index resistor defines a total resistance, and wherein the location along the length of the index resistor at which the contact occurs defines a portion of the total resistance, the portion of the total resistance defining the voltage read by the probe circuit.

4. The glove interface object of claim 1, wherein the thumb contact is defined at substantially a distal end of the thumb portion of the glove interface object.

5. The glove interface object of claim 1, wherein the index resistor is defined along a side surface of the index finger portion of the glove interface object.

6. The glove interface object of claim 1,

wherein the probe circuit continuously monitors the voltage over a time period during which the contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs;

wherein the data processing module generates the thumb-index control data so as to indicate changes in the location along the length of the index resistor at which the contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs.

7. The glove interface object of claim 1, wherein the setting for the virtual environment is an audio setting.

8. The glove interface object of claim 1, wherein the setting for the virtual environment defines a property of a virtual object defined for rendering in the virtual environment.

9. The glove interface object of claim 1, wherein the HMD includes,

a viewing module including an inner side having a view port into a screen configured for rendering image content that defines a view of the virtual environment;

an HMD communications module for exchanging data with the computing device;

an image processing module for processing the image data received from the computing device for rendering the image content on the screen;

a plurality of illumination elements integrated with an exterior housing of the viewing module, the plurality of illumination elements defined for image tracking of the HMD by a camera;

illumination logic for controlling the plurality of illumination elements to be active or inactive; and

at least one inertial sensor defined for inertial tracking of the HMD.

10. A method, comprising:

applying a current across an index resistor that is defined along a length of an index finger portion of a glove interface object;

reading a voltage, via a thumb contact, at a location along the length of the index resistor at which contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs, the thumb contact being defined on a thumb portion of the glove interface object;

processing the read voltage to generate thumb-index control data that is indicative of the location along the length of the index resistor at which the contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs;

sending the thumb-index control data to a computing device for processing to define a setting for a virtual environment, the computing device being configured to generate and send image data and audio data to a head-mounted display (HMD) for processing to render the virtual environment on the HMD.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the read voltage varies based upon a location along a length of the index resistor at which the contact occurs.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the length of the index resistor defines a total resistance, and wherein the location along the length of the index resistor at which the contact occurs defines a portion of the total resistance, the portion of the total resistance defining the read voltage.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the thumb contact is defined at substantially a distal end of the thumb portion of the glove interface object.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the index resistor is defined along a side surface of the index finger portion of the glove interface object.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

continuously monitoring the voltage over a time period during which the contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs;

wherein the thumb-index control data is generated so as to indicate changes in the location along the length of the index resistor at which the contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the setting for the virtual environment is an audio setting.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the setting for the virtual environment defines a property of a virtual object defined for rendering in the virtual environment.

18. The method of claim 10,

wherein the HMD includes an image processing module for processing the image data to render image content on a screen of a viewing module of the HMD, the viewing module including an inner side having a view port into the screen that is configured for rendering the image content that defines a view of the virtual environment;

wherein the HMD is tracked by processing captured image data of a plurality of illuminating elements integrated with an exterior housing of the viewing module of the HMD.

19. A glove interface object, comprising:

an index finger portion;

a resistance circuit including an index resistor defined along a length of the index finger portion, a power source for applying a current to the index resistor, and an output defined between the power source and the index resistor;

a thumb portion;

a ground circuit including a thumb contact defined on the thumb portion that is connected to ground;

a data processing module for processing a voltage read at the output to generate thumb-index control data that is indicative of a location along a length of the index resistor at which contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs;

a communications module configured to send the thumb-index control data to a computing device for processing to define a setting for a virtual environment, the computing device being configured to generate and send image data and audio data to a head-mounted display (HMD) for processing to render the virtual environment on the HMD.

20. The glove interface object of claim 19, wherein the voltage read varies based upon a location along the length of the index resistor at which the contact occurs.

21. The glove interface object of claim 20, wherein the length of the index resistor defines a total resistance, and wherein the location along the length of the index resistor at which the contact occurs defines a portion of the total resistance, the portion of the total resistance defining the voltage read.

22. The glove interface object of claim 19, wherein the thumb contact is defined at substantially a distal end of the thumb portion of the glove interface object.

23. The glove interface object of claim 19, wherein the index resistor is defined along a side surface of the index finger portion of the glove interface object.

24. The glove interface object of claim 19,

wherein the voltage is continuously monitored over a time period during which the contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs;

wherein the data processing module generates the thumb-index control data so as to indicate changes in the location along the length of the index resistor at which the contact between the thumb contact and the index resistor occurs.

25. The glove interface object of claim 19, wherein the setting for the virtual environment is an audio setting.

26. The glove interface object of claim 19, wherein the setting for the virtual environment defines a property of a virtual object defined for rendering in the virtual environment.

27. The glove interface object of claim 19, wherein the HMD includes,

a viewing module including an inner side having a view port into a screen configured for rendering image content that defines a view of the virtual environment;

an HMD communications module for exchanging data with the computing device;

an image processing module for processing the image data received from the computing device for rendering the image content on the screen;

a plurality of illumination elements integrated with an exterior housing of the viewing module, the plurality of illumination elements defined for image tracking of the HMD by a camera;

illumination logic for controlling the plurality of illumination elements to be active or inactive; and

at least one inertial sensor defined for inertial tracking of the HMD.