Wireless myoelectric control apparatus and methods

• US 6,244,873 B1
• Filed: 10/15/1999
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Singer, Yoram, Hill, William Colyer, Terveen, Loren Gilbert, Pereira, Fernando Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Application Number:
  US09/419,376
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 434/236, 434/238, 434/247, 434/258, 434/307.R, 434/308, 434/365, 482/900, 463/36, 600/546, 600/554, 600/595, 345/156, 623/24, 607/20, 375/222, 375/136, 733/790.1, 379/167, 379/171, 379/172, 379/110.01, 379/354, 379/368-370, 342/13, 342/371, 455/91, 455/92, 455/95, 455/460, 455/550, 455/556, 455/557, 455/564
• US Class Current: 434/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• 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

Myoelectric and wireless technologies are used for the control of a portable electronic device, such as a cellular telephone or a personal digital assistant (PDA). That is, a portable electronic device has a wireless myoelectric user interface. An apparatus includes a material which forms a forearm or wrist band, myoelectric sensors attached to the band, a digital processor coupled to the myoelectric sensors, and a wireless transmitter coupled to the digital processor. The apparatus is operative to sense and detect particular hand and/or finger gestures, and to broadcast control signals corresponding to the gestures for operative control of the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. A wireless myoelectric control apparatus suitable for use in operating a portable electronic device, comprising:

a material which forms a forearm or wrist band;

one or more myoelectric sensors carried on said band;

a processor;

said processor coupled to said myoelectric sensors;

memory for storing gesture pattern data indicative of a plurality of gestures, each gesture corresponding to a unique one of a plurality of portable electronic device commands;

said processor operative to compare myoelectric sensor signals with the gesture pattern data and to select one of the portable electronic device commands corresponding to a gesture that correlates with the myoelectric sensor signals;

a wireless transmitter; and

said wireless transmitter coupled to said processor and operative to wirelessly transmit the portable electronic device command.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor is further operative to digitize said myoelectric sensor signals and to compare the digitized signals with the gesture pattern data.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an encryption module; and

said encryption module operative to encrypt the transmission from said wireless transmitter.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said wireless transmitter is maintained in a non-transmitting state until the myoelectric sensor signals correlate with the gesture pattern.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor further comprises a training module for programming the gesture pattern data in said memory based on actual user gestures.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said material is elastic.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna; and

said antenna coupled to said wireless transmitter.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more myoelectric sensors;

a processor;

said processor coupled to said myoelectric sensors via electrical conductors;

an output from said processor providing one of a plurality of a portable electronic device input commands corresponding to a detected gesture, the plurality of portable electronic device input commands for invoking a plurality of user-interface functions of a portable electronic device;

a wireless transmitter coupled to the output from said processor; and

an antenna coupled to said wireless transmitter.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a training module for training said apparatus to detect gestures for a particular user.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

memory;

said memory coupled to said processor;

said memory for storing a plurality of gesture patterns, each gesture pattern corresponding to a unique one of the plurality of portable electronic device input commands; and

said processor operative to compare myoelectric sensor signal data with the plurality of gesture patterns and to select the portable electronic device input command that corresponds to a gesture pattern substantially matching with the myoelectric sensor signal data.

11. A battery-operable portable telephone having a wireless user interface comprising:

electronic circuitry, including;

a wireless receiver;

said wireless receiver operative to receive a user interface command that corresponds to a detected physical gesture of an end-user of the portable telephone;

a processor; and

said processor operative to receive and process the received user interface command.

12. The portable telephone according to claim 11, further comprising:

said processor being further operative to execute a predetermined function of the portable telephone that corresponds to the user interface command received by said wireless receiver.

13. The portable telephone according to claim 12, wherein the portable telephone comprises a cellular telephone.

14. A method of processing myoelectric sensor signals for use in invoking a plurality of predetermined functions of a portable electronic device, comprising:

receiving myoelectric sensor signals indicative of one of a plurality of hand or finger gestures;

detecting one of the plurality of gestures based at least in part on a positive correlation between the myoelectric sensor signals and predetermined gesture data; and

selectively issuing one of a plurality of commands associated with the detected gesture for invoking one of the predetermined functions of the portable electronic device.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting the command with a wireless transmitter.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

prior to transmitting, amplifying the myoelectric sensor signals; and

prior to transmitting, digitizing the amplified myoelectric sensor signals.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

in response to detecting, activating a wireless transmitter to transmit the command.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of hand or finger gestures includes a first gesture which reflects contact between a thumb and an index finger of a human hand, a second gesture which reflects contact between the thumb and a middle finger of the human hand, and a third gesture which reflects contact between the thumb and a ring finger of the human hand.

19. A wireless apparatus for invoking functions of a portable wireless telephone device, comprising:

a processor coupled to at least one sensor via electrical conductors;

memory for storing a plurality of gesture patterns;

said processor operative to compare sensor signal data with the plurality of gesture patterns, to detect a substantial match between the sensor signal data and one of the plurality of gesture patterns, and to select one of a plurality of user input commands associated with the match, wherein the plurality of user input commands correspond to a plurality of user-invokable functions of the portable wireless telephone device; and

a wireless transmitter coupled to said processor and operative to wirelessly transmit the user input command to the portable wireless telephone device.

20. The wireless user interface according to claim 19, wherein the plurality of user input commands comprise telephone digit selection commands.

21. The wireless user interface according to claim 19, wherein the plurality of user input commands comprise a SEND call command and an END call command.

22. The wireless user interface according to claim 19, wherein the plurality of user input commands comprise a scroll forward command and a scroll backward command.

23. The wireless user interface according to claim 19, wherein the wireless user interface is configured for use with a portable wireless telephone device comprising a cellular telephone.

24. The wireless user interface according to claim 19, wherein said wireless transmitter is maintained in a non-transmitting state until said processor detects a substantial match between the sensor signal data and one of the plurality of gesture patterns.

25. The wireless user interface according to claim 19, further comprising:

said processor being further operative to program said memory with the plurality of gesture patterns during a training session with the user.

26. An apparatus for controlling the operation of a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device having a plurality of user-invokable functions uniquely associated with a plurality of input command messages, the apparatus comprising:

a processor coupled to at least one sensor;

said processor operative to detect a correlation between sensor signals and one of a plurality of prestored signal patterns and to select a user input command message that is uniquely associated with such correlation;

a wireless transmitter coupled to said processor;

said wireless transmitter operative to maintain a non-transmitting state when said processor fails to detect any correlation; and

said wireless transmitter operative to maintain a transmitting state during transmission of the input command message to the portable electronic device in response to said processor detecting the correlation.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said apparatus is for controlling the operation of a portable electronic device comprising a portable wireless telephone.

28. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said apparatus is for controlling the operation of a portable electronic device comprising a battery-operable portable cellular telephone.

29. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said at least one sensor comprises at least one user-wearable myoelectric sensor.

30. A portable electronic device comprising one of a wireless telephone, a cellular telephone, an audio player, a personal digital assistant, and a computer, the portable electronic device comprising:

an antenna;

a wireless receiver coupled to said antenna;

said wireless receiver operative to wirelessly receive one of a plurality of user-interface command messages, each user-interface command message uniquely corresponding to one of a plurality of detected physical gestures of an end-user of the portable electronic device;

a processor coupled to said wireless receiver; and

said processor configured to execute, in response to the user-interface command message, one of a plurality of predetermined user-interface functions that uniquely corresponds to the user-interface command message received by said wireless receiver.

31. The portable electronic device according to claim 30, further comprising:

a decryption module for decrypting signals received from said wireless receiver.

32. The portable electronic device according to claim 30, further comprising:

a speaker providing an audio indication when said processor executes the user-interface function.

33. The portable electronic device according to claim 30, wherein the user-interface command message corresponds to one of a scroll forward function and scroll backward function.

34. The portable electronic device according to claim 30, wherein the user-interface command message corresponds to one of a SEND call function and an END call function.

35. The portable electronic device according to claim 30, wherein the user-interface command message corresponds to a select function for selecting a data item.