Method of employing a chirographic stylus

• US 7,668,375 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2004
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Malome T. Khomo
• Original Assignee: Malome T. Khomo
• Inventors: Khomo, Malome T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Strege; John B
• Application Number:
  US10/876,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20050069204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,070 Days
• Field of Search: 382/188, 345/179, 178/19.02
• US Class Current: 382/188
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 11/00 Teaching hand-writing, shorthand, drawing, or painting
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a chirographic signal pulse-emitting source and chirographic reader system. In an embodiment according to the present invention, contact-free proximity sensors may replace mechanical sensors. Ultrasonic transducers emit position-signaling pulses from a tip of the signal pulse-emitting source. Ultrasonic sensors on a reader typeface frame receive the pulses (transmissions). Proximity may be determined from the duration of travel of a pulse. Also disclosed herein is a reader subsystem including at least two separate modules. The at least two separate modules may include a pulse transmitting unit for a hand-held part and a stationary typeface frame reader sensing and receiving unit. The method may provide multiple triangulation measurements from a sensor arrangement to sense a multi-dimensional direction of the signal pulse-emitting source. The method may also provide pulse-width resolution by averaging multiple triangulation measurements for each signal pulse.

Claims

1. A spatial chirographic system, the system comprising:

a signal pulse-emitting source subsystem unit;

a reader subsystem unit; and

a main system unit, wherein the signal pulse-emitting source subsystem unit, the reader subsystem unit, and the main system unit are adapted to cooperatively interpret handwriting character information

wherein the signal pulse-emitting source subsystem unit comprises a signal pulse-emitting source comprising a signal-emitting device, the signal-emitting device being located in a tip of the signal pulse-emitting source and the signal pulse-emitting unit, the reader subsystem unit and the main system unit cooperate to determine a position of at least the tip of the signal pulse-emitting source in a reference chirographic font-centric coordinate frame.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the signal-emitting device comprises a remote signal generator, the remote signal generator comprising one of a transducer, a radio frequency generator, and optical generator, and infrared generator, and an ultrasonic generator, and remote signals emitted by the remote signal generator comprise one of a radio frequency signal, an optical signal, and infrared signal, and an ultrasonic signal.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the signal pulse-emitting source subsystem unit comprises:

an electrical interface between the signal pulse-emitting source and a system data bus;

signal time memory locations; and

a signal-conditioning module.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the signal pulse-emitting source comprises:

an elongated handle portion; and

an electrical coupling affixed to a distal portion.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the reader subsystem unit comprises a plurality of sensing devices, the plurality of sensing devices are adapted to receive remote signals emitted by a remote signal-emitting device, wherein the remote signals received by the sensing devices are evaluated to determine a position of the remote signal-emitting device.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of sensing devices comprise one of a plurality of ultrasonic microphones, a plurality of radio frequency receivers, a plurality of optical sensors, and a plurality of infrared sensors, the remote signals comprising one of ultrasonic sound signals, radio frequency signals, optical signals, and infrared signals, the remote signals comprising a plurality of information encoded in the signals, and the remote signals travel at a determinable characteristic speed and vary by a determinable Doppler effect to continuous changes in a travel distance.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the reader subsystem unit comprises:

a plurality of spatial proximity data memory locations; and

a plurality of signal arrival time memory locations.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the reader subsystem unit comprises:

a reader typeface frame;

a plurality of sensors associated with the reader typeface frame;

an electrical coupling adaptor for coupling sensor wires to the main system unit; and

an electrical interface from the electrical coupling adaptor to a data bus in the main system unit.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the main system unit comprises a controller and a plurality of memory locations for storing information.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the controller comprises at least one processor and information stored in the plurality of memory locations comprises at least one of time information and position information associated with a signal-emitting device.

11. A method for spatially reading handwriting symbols, the method comprising:

determining a position of a handwriting implement in a reference chirographic font-centric coordinate frame by;

receiving a remote signal emitted by the handwriting implement at a plurality of locations;

evaluating remote signal information corresponding to signal reception at each of the plurality of locations;

receiving a plurality of additional remote signals emitted by the handwriting implement at the plurality of locations; and

evaluating remote signal information corresponding to a plurality of signal receptions at each of the plurality of locations for the plurality of additional remote signals; and

determining a plurality of additional positions of the handwriting implement in a reference chirographic font-centric coordinate frame over a period of time; and

determining a handwriting symbol corresponding to the plurality of positions that the handwriting implement has within the period of time.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

associating a plurality of sensors with a reader interface device;

maintaining a time counter;

conditioning a position signal pulse; and

modulating a sample time into the signal pulse.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

emitting a position signal pulse from a signal emitter associated with a signal pulse-emitting source;

recording an pulse emission time; and

recording a pulse departure time.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a received position signal pulse at a plurality of reader sensors;

recording arrival times of signal pulses at each of the plurality of reader sensors; and

demodulating a sample departure time from the signal pulse.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

deriving a pulse transmission time for a plurality of signal pulse arrival times; and

locating a spatial position of a signal pulse-emitting source by at least one triangulation calculation.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising deriving an instantaneous position of a signal pulse-emitting source based upon known positions of a plurality of sensors.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising storing signal pulse-emitting source position information in interface memory locations for acquisition by system main, wherein the signal pulse-emitting source position information is based upon a relationship between a signal pulse-emitting source instantaneous position and a plurality of known positions of a plurality of sensors.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising averaging a plurality of positions calculated by at least one triangulation technique using known positions of a plurality of sensors.

19. The method according to claim 11, further comprising determining an orientation of a signal pulse-emitting source based upon known positions of a plurality of sensors.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein determining the orientation of the signal pulse-emitting source comprises affixing an elongated hood to the signal pulse-emitting source, the elongated hood focusing and directing emitted signals along a signal pulse-emitting source axis line and attenuating emitted signals in other directions.

21. A method for spatially reading handwriting symbols, the method comprising:

determining a position of a handwriting implement by;

receiving a remote signal emitted by the handwriting implement at a plurality of locations;

evaluating remote signal information corresponding to signal reception at each of the plurality of locations;

determining a plurality of additional positions of the handwriting implement over a period of time by;

receiving a plurality of additional remote signals emitted by the handwriting implement at the plurality of locations; and

evaluating remote signal information corresponding to a plurality of signal receptions at each of the plurality of locations for the plurality of additional remote signals;

determining a handwriting symbol corresponding to the plurality of positions of the handwriting implement;

determining an orientation of a signal pulse-emitting source based upon known positions of a plurality of sensors wherein determining the orientation of the signal pulse-emitting source comprises affixing an elongated hood to the signal pulse-emitting source, the elongated hood focusing and directing emitted signals along a signal pulse-emitting source axis line and attenuating emitted signals in other directions; and

recording a signal strength of a received signal by each of a plurality of sensors.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein determining the orientation of the signal pulse-emitting source further comprises accounting for attenuation of signal strength arising from distance and ascribing the orientation of the signal pulse-emitting source to an attenuation component that is attributable to factors other than distance.