Stand-alone device, system and method for navigating in a space having at least three dimensions

• US 8,072,417 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2005
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Inventors: Jouanet, Laurent, David, Dominique, Caritu, Yanis, Schermesser, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, DUC Q
• Application Number:
  US11/666,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20080074385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,237 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-173
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

A stand-alone device for navigating in a space having at least three dimensions comprises a housing capable of being manipulated by a user. The housing houses means for generating signals that represent the inclination of the housing according to its pitch axes, rolling axes and yaw axes, and houses at least one isometric device that generates a control signal of a bi-directional displacement according to at least one axis of said space. The invention is used, in particular, for navigating in a virtual space.

Claims

1. A stand-alone device for navigating in a space having at least three dimensions, comprising a casing adapted to be manipulated by a user, the casing incorporating:

isotonic sensors for generating signals representing the inclination of the casing with respect to its pitch, roll and yaw axes;

at least one isometric device adapted to be operated by a finger of the user while holding the casing in one hand, the isometric device being sensitive to a force exerted by the user'"'"'s finger along at least two axes of the isometric device, and being adapted to generate a control signal for controlling at least one bidirectional translation with respect to at least one axis of the space, wherein the control signal comprises a signal representing the force exerted by the user'"'"'s finger along one axis of the at least two axes of the isometric device; and

processor means for generating signals for controlling at least one bidirectional rotation in the space from the signals representing the inclination of the casing and signals for controlling at least one bidirectional translation in the space from the control signal generated by the isometric device,

the isotonic sensors and the isometric device being decoupled from each other, thereby decoupling the rotational movement and the translation movement when navigating in the space.

2. The stand-alone navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the isometric device is sensitive to a force exerted along three axes of the at least one isometric device and is adapted to generate signals for controlling a movement with respect to three axes of the space.

3. The stand-alone navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the isotonic sensors for generating signals representing the inclination of the casing comprise at least two accelerometers and two magnetometers.

4. The stand-alone navigation device according to claim 1 further comprising means for pointing in a virtual space having two dimensions and means for switching a mode of operation between a first mode in which the device is manipulated by a user to detect the inclination of the casing and a second mode in which the device operates as a pointer in a virtual space having two dimensions.

5. The stand-alone navigation device according to claim 1 wherein the casing comprises a substantially parallelepipedal shape, and wherein the at least one isometric device is disposed on an upper face of the casing and is adapted to be operated by a thumb of the user while holding casing in one hand.

6. The stand-alone navigation device according to claim 1 wherein the casing comprises a substantially parallelepipedal shape, and wherein the at least one isometric device is disposed on a lateral face of the casing.

7. A navigation system for navigating in a space having at least three dimensions comprising a device according to claim 1.

8. The navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the signals representing the inclination of the casing are adapted to generate three bidirectional movements in the space.

9. The navigation system according to claim 8, wherein the signals representing the inclination of the casing are further adapted to generate signals for controlling bidirectional rotation in the space.

10. The navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the control signal is adapted to generate movements with respect to three axes of the space.

11. The navigation system according to claim 10, wherein the control signal is adapted to generate a movement in the space depending on the force exerted along the one axis.

12. The navigation system according to claim 11, wherein the movement in the space depends on a comparison of the signal representing the force exerted along the one axis with a predetermined threshold value.

13. A navigation method in a space having at least three dimensions, the method comprising the following steps:

acquiring signals generated by isotonic sensors incorporated into a casing, the signals representing an inclination of the casing with respect to pitch, roll and yaw axes;

acquiring a control signal for controlling at least one bidirectional translation with respect to at least one axis of the space, wherein the control signal is generated by an isometric device incorporated in the casing, the isometric device being adapted to be operated by a finger of a user while holding the casing in one hand and being sensitive to a force exerted by the user'"'"'s finger along at least two axes of the isometric device, the control signal comprising a signal representing the force exerted by the user'"'"'s finger along one axis of the at least two axes of the isometric device;

generating at least one bidirectional rotation in the space from the signals representing the inclination of the casing; and

generating at least one bidirectional translation in the space from the control signal generated by the isometric device, the isotonic sensors and the isometric device being decoupled from each other, thereby decoupling the rotational movement and the translation movement when navigating in the space.

14. The navigation method according to claim 13 further comprising the steps of generating signals for controlling bidirectional rotation and bidirectional translation in the space from the signals representing the inclination of the casing and generating signals for controlling translation in the space from movement control signals generated by the isometric device.

15. The navigation method according to claim 13 further comprising the steps of generating signals for controlling two bidirectional rotations and a bidirectional translation in the space from the signals representing the inclination of the casing and generating signals for controlling translation in the space from the movement control signals generated by the isometric device.

16. The navigation method according to claim 13 further comprising the steps of generating signals for controlling a bidirectional rotation and two bidirectional translations in the space from the signals representing the inclination of the casing and generating signals for controlling bidirectional translation in the space from the movement control signals generated by the isometric device.

17. The navigation method according to claim 13 further comprising the steps of generating signals for controlling three bidirectional rotations in the space from the signals representing the inclination of the casing and generating signals for controlling translation in the space from the movement control signals generated by the isometric device.

18. The navigation method according to claim 13 further comprising the steps of generating signals for controlling three bidirectional rotations in the space from the signals representing the inclination of the casing and generating signals for controlling three bidirectional translations in the space from the movement control signals generated by the isometric device.