Radar-Based Gesture-Recognition through a Wearable Device

• US 20170192522A1
• Filed: 01/10/2017
• Published: 07/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Aiello, Gaetano Roberto, Poupyrev, Ivan
• Granted Patent: US 9,971,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/411 Identification of targets based on measurements of radar reflectivity G01S7/415 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

This document describes techniques and devices for radar-based gesture-recognition through a wearable device. The techniques enable an easy-to-use input interface through this wearable radar device, in contrast to small or difficult-to-use input interfaces common to wearable computing devices. Further, these techniques are not limited to interfacing with wearable computing devices, but may aid users in controlling various non-wearable devices, such as to control volume on a stereo, pause a movie playing on a television, or select a webpage on a desktop computer.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A computing bracelet comprising:

a microwave radio element configured to provide a localized radar field adjacent the computing bracelet, the localized radar field corresponding to a surface radar field through which a gesture interaction is sensed;

an antenna element configured to sense the gesture interaction through the localized radar field, the gesture interaction having multiple targets on the surface radar field in the localized radar field, the gesture interaction passing through the localized radar field; and

a signal processor configured to process the sensed gesture interaction having the multiple targets in the localized radar field sufficient to provide gesture data usable to determine a two-dimensional gesture or a three-dimensional gesture from the sensed gesture interaction having the multiple targets.

3. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 2, wherein the microwave radio element is configured to emit microwave radiation in a 3 GHz to 300 GHz range and the antenna element is configured to sense the gesture interaction of the emitted microwave radiation to track locations of two or more of the multiple targets to a resolution of approximately two to 25 millimeters, the resolution of the locations based on the 3 GHz to 300 GHz range of the emitted microwave radiation.

4. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 2, wherein the microwave radio element is configured to emit microwave radiation capable of substantially penetrating clothing and not substantially penetrating human tissue, and the antenna element or signal processor is configured to differentiate between gesture interactions in the localized radar field caused by clothing from gesture interactions in the localized radar field caused by human tissue.

5. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 2, wherein the microwave radio element is configured to emit continuously modulated radiation, ultra-wideband radiation, or sub-millimeter-frequency radiation.

6. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 2, wherein the microwave radio element is configured to form emitted radiation in beams, the beams enabling the antenna element and the signal processor to determine which of the beams are interrupted.

7. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 2, wherein the surface radar field conforms to a surface of an object and the gesture interaction interrupts the localized radar field at or near the surface of the object.

8. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 7, wherein the surface of the object to which the surface radar field conforms is at least partially curved.

9. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 7, wherein the surface of the object to which the surface radar field conforms is planar.

10. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 2, wherein the surface radar field conforms to a human hand adjacent to the computing bracelet.

11. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 2, wherein the surface radar field conforms to a shirt-sleeve collar adjacent to the computing bracelet.

12. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, perform operations comprising;

determining, based on the provided gesture data from the signal processor, the two-dimensional gesture or the three-dimensional gesture;

mapping the determined two-dimensional gesture or the determined three-dimensional gesture to a pre-configured control gesture associated with a control input for an application associated with a remote device; and

causing the transmitting device to transmit the control input to the remote device effective to enable control of the application.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, for an application on a computing bracelet, a set of controls through which the application can be controlled;

indicating the set or a subset of the controls selectable through a localized radar field;

causing a radar-based gesture-recognition system to present the localized radar field adjacent the radar-based gesture-recognition system, the localized radar field corresponding to a surface radar field through which a gesture interaction is sensed;

causing the radar-based gesture-recognition system to sense the gesture interaction through the localized radar field, the gesture interaction having multiple targets on the surface radar field in the localized radar field, the gesture interaction passing through the localized radar field;

determining a control of the set or subset of the controls selected through the sensed gesture interaction in the localized radar field; and

passing the determined control to the application.

14. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 13, wherein the surface radar field conforms to a surface of an object and the gesture interaction interrupts the localized radar field at or near the surface of the object.

15. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, wherein the surface radar field conforms to a human hand adjacent to the computing bracelet or a shirt-sleeve collar adjacent to the computing bracelet.

16. A computing bracelet comprising:

a radar-based gesture-recognition system configured to sense gestures;

one or more computer processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, perform operations comprising;

causing the radar-based gesture-recognition system to provide a localized radar field adjacent the computing bracelet, the localized radar field corresponding to a surface radar field through which an interaction is sensed;

causing the radar-based gesture-recognition system to sense the interaction through the localized radar field, the interaction having multiple targets on the surface radar field in the localized radar field, the interaction passing through the localized radar field;

determining a two-dimensional gesture or a three-dimensional gesture based on the sensed interaction through the localized radar field; and

passing the determined gesture to an application or operating system of the computing bracelet effective to cause the application or operating system to receive an input corresponding to the determined gesture.

17. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 16, wherein the computing bracelet further comprises a display and the operations further comprise causing the display to present a visual approximation of a location corresponding to the sensed interaction.

18. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 16, wherein the computing bracelet further comprises a display and the operations further comprise:

overlaying the localized radar field on an object;

determining the object on which the localized radar field overlays;

presenting a visual approximation of the object on the display; and

responsive to sensing the interaction in the localized radar field, presenting the sensed interaction at a location in the visual approximation for the object corresponding to the sensed interaction'"'"'s location at the object.

19. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 16, wherein the computing bracelet further comprises a display and the operations further comprise causing the display to present a visual approximation, in real time, of a movement and locations corresponding to the sensed interaction.

20. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 19, wherein the display presents an interface showing selectable control regions of the localized radar field and the visual approximation of the location corresponding to the sensed interaction indicates selection of a selectable control region responsive to sensing the interaction in the localized radar field.

21. The computing bracelet as recited in claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, based on a user interface associated with the application, a set of controls for the user interface through which the user interface is capable of receiving input;

indicating, to the user interface, the set of controls or a subset of the set of controls for selection through the radar-based gesture-recognition system effective to enable the user interface to highlight or indicate the set of controls or the subset of the set of controls for selection through the radar-based gesture-recognition system; and

responsive to the sensed interaction selecting one of the set or subset of controls, causing the user interface associated with the application to indicate selection of the selected control.