Navigation device providing sensory feedback

• US 8,570,274 B1
• Filed: 10/08/2010
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Navisense
• Original Assignee: Navisense
• Inventors: McIntosh, Jason, Boillot, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chow, Yuk
• Application Number:
  US12/900,662
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 715/863, 200/52
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves

Abstract

A device and method is provided for sensory feedback control during touchless navigation of a user interface. The navigation system permits touchless user interface control via a wand pointing device and a receiver device. The wand is used to identify points of interest in three-dimensional space via a wand tip. The wand tip does not contain any electronics or sensors and permits precise access measurements. The wand can also be affixed to objects to track their movement and orientation within proximity of the receiver. In one arrangement, the sensory feedback provides a visual indication of the wand'"'"'s location and orientation through the user interface. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for sensory feedback control, comprising:

an ultrasonic receiver device to;

generate a three-dimensional ultrasonic sensory space one centimeter or more beyond the receiver device and the ultrasonic sensory space is wider than any size of the receiver device,

defining a plurality of concentric boundary regions within the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensory space that are each associated with a wand location and a sensory feedback response, and

detect and report the location and position of the wand in the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensing space from peak-detection of directed ultrasonic signals with high-resolution positional accuracy; and

an indicator communicatively coupled to the ultrasonic receiver device, the indicator providing a sensory feedback response associated with the location and position of the wand in the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensory space,

wherein the sensory feedback response is visual, auditory, or haptic.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver device further comprises:

a timer, wherein the timer identifies a time length the wand is moving in the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensory space for resolving the high-resolution positional accuracy; and

a user interface communicatively coupled to the timer for changing a behavior of the sensory feedback response in accordance with the time length that the wand is moving.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the receiver device recognizes a stationarity of the wand via position averaging, and the indicator changes the sensory feedback response based on the stationarity that is recognized in a respective concentric boundary region.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver device generates the ultrasonic sensing space to include the plurality of concentric boundary regions each associated with at least one color indication, wherein the indicator changes to a color representative of the location of the wand when the wand is within a corresponding concentric boundary region.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicator is at least one of a light emitting diode, a monitor, a user interface, a light contrast display (LCD), an array of illuminating elements, a laser, or a vibration element.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises

an array of ultrasonic transmitters integrated on the wand;

and

an electronic circuit on the wand to drive said array of ultrasonic transmitters to emit the directed ultrasonic signals within the three-dimensional space,

where the receiver device;

estimates a time of flight between when said directed ultrasonic signals are transmitted from the wand and received at a plurality of ultrasonic microphones on the receiver device by wave-front peak detection;

calculates phase differentials by peak differencing between the directed ultrasonic signal and a previously received directed ultrasonic signal for the plurality of ultrasonic microphones; and

determines the position and relative displacement of said wand from said time of flight measurements and said phase differentials for the plurality of ultrasonic sensors from repeated operation.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the receiver correlates the time of flight and phase differentials across the plurality of microphones to both properties of acoustic sound propagation in air and also transmitting characteristics of the ultrasonic transmitters.

8. The system of claim 6, where the step of defining the concentric boundary regions maps ultrasonic wave propagation characteristics of the ultrasonic transmitters to spherical attenuation of ultrasonic waves as a function of location and distance.

9. A method for sensory feedback control, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a three-dimensional ultrasonic sensory space one centimeter or more above a receiver device that is wider than any size of the receiver device,

generating a plurality of concentric boundary regions within the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensory space that are each associated with a sensory feedback response;

monitoring a movement of a wand in the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensing space from peak-detection of directed ultrasonic signals with high-resolution positional accuracy;

reporting a position of the wand in the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensing space with high-resolution positional accuracy; and

providing the position of the wand with the sensory feedback in accordance with the movement,

wherein the sensory feedback is visual, auditory, or haptic.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

identifying a location of the wand when it is stationary in a concentric boundary region of the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensory space; and

adjusting a behavior of the sensory feedback based on the location.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising

determining a length of time the wand is at a location;

and

adjusting a behavior of the sensory feedback based on the length of time.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

tracking the wand in the ultrasonic sensory space; and

adjusting sensory feedback in accordance with a location of the wand in the ultrasonic sensory space,

wherein the ultrasonic sensing space projects 1 cm to 3 m beyond the touchless sensing unit.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

creating an acoustic map of acoustic propagation characteristics of ultrasonic wand transmitters at a plurality of locations in physical space in proximity to an ultrasonic receiver monitoring the movement of the wand.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

correlating time of flight and phase differentials to both properties of sound propagation in surrounding air and also to transmit characteristics of ultrasonic wand transmitters to precisely determine a location of the wand relative to an ultrasonic receiver monitoring the movement of the wand.

15. A method for providing sensory feedback control, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a three-dimensional ultrasonic sensory space one centimeter or more above a receiver device that is wider than any size of the receiver device;

detecting a movement of a wand within the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensory space that is in direct communication with the receiver device;

reporting a precise location of a tip of the wand in the three-dimensional ultrasonic sensing space with millimeter-resolution accuracy; and

providing sensory feedback to a graphical user interface that reports a location of the wand tip and an orientation of the wand in three-dimensional space, wherein no sensors are attached to the tip of the wand and the sensory feedback is visual, auditory, or haptic.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising adjusting the sensory feedback in accordance a location and position of the wand.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising mapping ultrasonic wave propagation characteristics of the ultrasonic transmitters to spherical attenuation of ultrasonic waves as a function of wand transmitter location and distance.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising

recognizing a movement of the wand, and changing the sensory feedback to identify the movement that is recognized.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising correlating time of flight and phase differentials to both properties of sound propagation in surrounding air and also to transmit characteristics of ultrasonic wand transmitters to precisely determine a location of the wand relative to an ultrasonic receiver monitoring the movement of the wand.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein providing sensory feedback further comprises:

adjusting a sensory feedback to signify gaining control of the wand; and

adjusting the sensory feedback to signify relinquishing control of the wand.