Data input method and device for a computer system

• US 6,848,083 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2001
• Issued: 01/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hung-Lien Shen
• Original Assignee: Hung-Lien Shen
• Inventors: Shen, Hung-Lien
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US09/903,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20030011562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 345/863, 345/156, 345/173, 345/162, 345/158, 345/700, 345/764, 345/765, 345/773, 345/866, 341/22, 341/26, 341/51, 341/54, 341/55, 341/144, 341/155, 341/142, 702/150, 702/151
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0235 using chord techniques G06F3/0234 takes precedence

Abstract

A data input method and device is provided that allows a user to input data to a computer by means of bending his/her five band digits in a specified manner representing a keyboard character intended for input to the computer system. The bending of the user'"'"'s five hand digits will then cause wrist muscle movements, which can be then sensed by a piezoelectric element in the data input device. In response, the piezoelectric element generates a corresponding electrical signal, which is then converted into binary form and transmitted via cable or wireless link to the computer system. Inside the computer system, the CPU searches through a predefined character-mapping table to find the character corresponding to the received signal from the data input device.

Claims

1. A data input method for use with a computer system for user data input to the computer system, comprising the steps of:

(1) predefining a set of combinations of hand digit movements, each combination of hand digit movements representing a specific character;

(2) predefining a character mapping table which maps each combination of hand digit movements predefined in said step (1) to a specific character;

(3) sensing user'"'"'s wrist muscle movements due to the user'"'"'s hand digit movements representing a character intended for input to the computer system, and thereby producing a corresponding data signal;

(4) transmitting the data signal to the computer system; and

(5) searching through the character mapping table to find the character corresponding to the received data signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in said step (1), the user'"'"'s wrist muscle movements are sensed by a data input device coupled to the user'"'"'s wrist.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data input device comprises a piezoelectric element, a signal conversion unit, a signal processing unit.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the piezoelectric element is attached to the user'"'"'s wrist to sense the wrist'"'"'s muscle movements due to the user'"'"'s hand digit movements representing a keyboard character intended for input to the computer system to thereby produce a corresponding electrical signal.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the signal conversion unit is coupled to the piezoelectric element to convert the output signal of the piezoelectric element into a data signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data signal is a digital signal.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the data signal is an analog signal.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the signal processing unit is coupled to the signal conversion unit and is capable of modulating the data signal into transmittable form for transmission to the computer system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

displaying the data corresponding to the received data signal on a monitor screen.

10. A data input method for use to input data to a computer system, comprising the steps of:

(1) predefining a set of combinations of hand movements, each combination of hand digit movements representing a specific character;

(2) predefining a character mapping table which maps each combination of hand digit movements predefined m said step (1) to the specific character;

(3) coupling a sensing device to user'"'"'s wrist, the sensing device capable of sensing wrist'"'"'s muscle movements due to hand digit-bending movements within a certain range of angle for representing the specific character to thereby produce a corresponding electrical signal;

(4) converting the electrical signal into a corresponding data signal;

(5) transmitting the data signal to the computer system;

(6) activating the computer system to search through the character mapping table to find the character corresponding to the received data signal; and

(7) displaying the character corresponding to the data signal on a monitor screen.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sensing device comprises a piezoelectric element, a signal conversion unit, a signal processing unit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the piezoelectric element is attached to the user'"'"'s wrist to sense the wrist'"'"'s muscle movements due to the user'"'"'s hand digit movements representing a keyboard character intended for input to the computer system to thereby produce a corresponding electrical signal.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the signal conversion unit is coupled to the piezoelectric element to convert the output signal of the piezoelectric element into a data signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data signal is a digital signal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the data signal is an analog signal.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the signal processing unit is coupled to the signal conversion unit and is capable of modulating the data signal into transmittable form for transmission to the computer system.

17. A data input method for use with a sensing device including a piezoelectric element, a memory unit, a signal conversion unit, and a signal processing unit, to input data to a computer system, comprising the steps of:

(1) predefining a set of combinations of hand movements, each combination of hand digit movements representing a specific character;

(2) predefining a character mapping table which maps each combination of hand digit movements predefined m said step (1) to the specific character and storing the character mapping table in the memory unit;

(3) coupling the sensing device to user'"'"'s wrist, the sensing device capable of sensing wrist'"'"'s muscle movements to thereby produce a corresponding electrical signal;

(4) activating the piezoelectric element to sense the user'"'"'s wrist muscle movements due to the user'"'"'s hand digit-bending movements within a certain range of angle for representing a keyboard character intended for input to the computer system, whereby the piezoelectric element produces a corresponding electrical signal;

(5) activating the signal conversion unit to convert the electrical signal into a data signal;

(6) activating the signal processing unit to modulate the data signal for transmission to the computer system;

(7) activating the computer system to search through a character mapping table to find the keyboard character corresponding to the received data signal; and

(8) displaying the keyboard character corresponding to the data signal on a monitor screen.

18. A data input device for use to input data to a computer system, the data input device comprising:

a piezoelectric element coupled to user'"'"'s wrist and capable of sensing a combination of predefined hand digit movements which are mapped to a computer code by a mapping table to thereby produce a corresponding electrical signal representing the computer code intended for input to the computer system;

a signal conversion unit coupled to the piezoelectric element and capable of converting the electrical signal from the piezoelectric element into a data signal; and

a signal processing unit coupled to the signal conversion unit and capable of modulating the data signal for transmission to the computer system, whereby the computer code corresponding to the data signal is obtained.

19. A data input device for use to input data to a computer system, the data input device comprising:

a piezoelectric element coupled to user'"'"'s wrist and capable of sensing wrist'"'"'s muscle movements to a combination of hand digit-bending movements within a certain range of angle to thereby produce a corresponding electrical signal representing the computer code intended for input to the computer system, wherein the combination of hand digit-bending movements are predefined and mapped to a computer code by a mapping table;

a signal conversion unit coupled to the piezoelectric element and capable of converting the electrical signal from the piezoelectric element into a data signal;

a signal processing unit coupled to the signal conversion unit and capable of modulating the data signal for transmission to the computer system; and

mapping means provided in the computer system, which is capable of finding the computer code corresponding to the received data signal from the signal processing unit according to the mapping table.