Device driver system for minimizing adverse tremor effects during use of pointing devices

• US 6,561,993 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2001
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schultz, Kevin Laverne, Lawrence, Brad Michael, Happ, Alan Joseph, Champion, David Frederick, Adapathya, Ravi Shankarnarayan
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeffery, John A.
• Application Number:
  US09/793,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20020120217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 600/531, 600/595, 345/856-858, 345/157-158, 345/163-167, 345/161
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1101 Detecting tremor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6897 Computer input devices, e.g. mice or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A system and method for minimizing essential tremor effects while utilizing a pointing device on a computer system is disclosed. The system and method comprises obtaining an individual'"'"'s tremor characteristics and calculating the frequency components of the tremor to obtain digital filter coefficients. The method and system further includes creating a calibration profile comprised of digital filter coefficient that plugs into a pointing device driver; and utilizing the modified device driver to eliminate the effects of the essential tremors. The system and method includes a software tuning algorithm used to obtain an individual'"'"'s tremor characteristics. A spectral analysis system will calculate the frequency components of the tremor and digital filter coefficients will be saved as a profile. The appropriate filter coefficients will be passed to a device driver via the profile. The modified device driver will filter the pointing device input data based on the filter coefficients and eliminate tremor effects from the on-screen pointer. Because the profile is transferable, if a device driver capable of accepting the profile plug-in were already installed on a computer, the profile could be loaded and used immediately on the computer without the need for re-calibration.

Claims

1. A method for minimizing essential tremor effects while utilizing a pointing device on a computer system;

the method comprising the steps of;

(a) obtaining an individual'"'"'s tremor characteristics;

(b) calculating the frequency components of the tremor to obtain digital filter coefficients; and

(c) creating a calibration profile plug-in based upon the digital coefficients; and

(d) utilizing the calibration profile plug-in to recalibrate the pointing device by loading it into a pointing device driver to eliminate the effects of the essential tremors.

2. The method of claim 1 in which a software tuning algorithm performs the obtaining step (a).

3. The method of claim 1 in which a spectral analysis system performs the calculating step (b).

4. The method of claim 1 in which the digital coefficients are saved as a calibration profile plug-in.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the profile plug-in is utilized to plug into the device driver.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the utilizing step (d) comprises the step of (d1) loading the profile plug-in into a pointing device driver on a host computer.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the utilizing step comprises the step of (d1) saving the profile plug-in to distribute to other computers;

and (d2) loading the profile plug-in into a pointing device driver.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the profile maps physical pointing device motion to on-screen pointer movement.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the obtaining step (a) comprises the step of (a1) collecting data as an individual performs on-screen calibrating tasks.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the on-screen pointing tasks comprise calibrating a linear target and attempting to remain stationary over a specified target.

11. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for minimizing essential tremor effects while utilizing a pointing device on a computer system;

the program instructions for;

(a) obtaining an individual'"'"'s tremor characteristics;

(b) calculating the frequency components of the tremor to obtain digital filter coefficients;

(c) creating a calibration profile plug-in based upon the digital coefficients; and

(d) utilizing the calibration profile plug-in to recalibrate the pointing device by loading it into a pointing device driver to eliminate the effects of the essential tremors.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 in which a software tuning algorithm performs the obtaining step (a).

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 in which a spectral analysis system performs the calculating step (b).

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11 in which the digital coefficients are saved as a calibration profile plug-in.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14 in which the profile plug-in is utilized to plug into a device driver.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 11 in which the utilizing step (d) comprises the step of (d1) loading the profile plug-in into a pointing device driver on a host computer.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 11 in which the utilizing step comprises the step of (d1) saving the profile plug-in to distribute to other computers;

and (d2) loading the profile plug-in into a pointing device driver on a remote computer.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the profile maps physical pointing device motion to on-screen pointer movement.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the obtaining step (a) comprises the step of (a1) collecting data as an individual performs on-screen calibrating tasks.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the on-screen calibrating tasks comprise tracking a linear target and attempting to remain stationary over a specified target.

21. A method for minimizing essential tremor effects while utilizing a pointing device on a computer system;

the method comprising the steps of;

(a) obtaining an individual'"'"'s tremor characteristics;

(b) calculating the frequency components of the tremor to obtain digital filter coefficients;

(c) creating a calibration profile plug-in based upon the digital coefficients;

(d) saving the calibration profile plug-in to distribute to other computers; and

(e) loading the calibration profile plug-in into a pointing device driver.

22. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for minimizing essential tremor effects while utilizing a pointing device on a computer system;

the programming instructions for;

(a) obtaining an individual'"'"'s tremor characteristics;

(b) calculating the frequency components of the tremor to obtain digital filter coefficients;

(c) creating a calibration profile plug-in based upon the digital coefficients;

(d) saving the calibration profile plug-in to distribute to other computers; and

(e) loading the calibration profile plug-in into a pointing device driver.