Multimode remote controller comprising an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a capacitive pressure transducer, and a touch pad

• US 8,779,904 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2011
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yu, Kuo-Chih, Hu, Chih-Cheng, Fu, Chien-Chun
• Primary Examiner(s): Syed, Nabil
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUSHING, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US13/296,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20130099903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 340 1222- 1226, 340/4.11, 340/426.13, 340/426.14, 341/176, 348/734
• US Class Current: 340/12.22
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric

Abstract

A remote controller generates control signals according to the speed of movement sensed by a three-axis accelerometer and the direction of movement sensed by a gyroscope and transmits the control signals to a remotely controlled device communicating with the remote controller when the remote controller is in a first work mode, generates control signals according to touch sensing signals from a touch pad and transmits the control signals to the remotely controlled device when the remote controller is in a second work mode, and further generates control signals according to variations in the capacitance of the capacitive type pressure transducer unit and transmits the control signals to the remotely controlled device when the remote controller is in a third work mode.

Claims

1. A remote controller comprising:

a touch pad;

a capacitive type pressure transducer unit;

a three-axis accelerometer sensor;

a gyroscope;

a communication unit to communicate with a remotely controlled device; and

a processor to generate control signals according to the speed of the movement of the remote controller sensed by the three-axis accelerometer and the direction of the movement of the remote controller sensed by the gyroscope and transmit the control signals to the remotely controlled device when the remote controller is in a first work mode, generate the control signals according to touch sensing signals from the touch pad and transmit the control signals to the remotely controlled device when the remote controller is in a second work mode, and generate the control signals according to variations in the capacitance of the capacitive type pressure transducer unit and transmit the control signals to the remotely controlled device when the remote controller is in a third work mode, the processor further to switch operational modes between the first work mode and the second work mode according to the touch sensing signals from the touch pad, and switch operational modes between the first work mode and the third work mode according to a variation in the capacitance of the capacitive type pressure transducer unit, wherein when the remote controller is in the first work mode, if the processor determines that the variation in the capacitance of the capacitive type pressure transducer unit falls within a predetermined range, the processor is to switch the remote controller from the first work mode to the third work mode;

when the remote controller is in the third work mode, if the processor determines that the variation in the capacitance of the capacitance type pressure transducer unit falls within the predetermined range, the processor is to switch the remote controller from the third work mode to the first work mode; and

when the remote controller is in the third work mode, if the processor determines that the capacitance of the transducer unit does not change within a predetermined period, the processor is to switch the remote controller from the third work mode to the first work mode.

2. The remote controller as described in claim 1, wherein when the remote controller is in the second work mode, if the processor receives the touch sensing signals generated by executing the particular touch operation on the touch pad, the processor is to switch the remote controller from the second work mode to the first work mode.

3. The remote controller as described in claim 2, wherein when the remote controller is in the second work mode, if the processor does not receive any of the touch sensing signals from the touch pad within a predetermined time interval, the processor is to switch the remote controller from the second work mode to the first work mode.

4. The remote controller as described in claim 2, wherein the particular touch operation is tapping on the touch pad a predetermined number of times within a preset time interval.

5. The remote controller as described in claim 1, wherein the capacitance type pressure transducer unit comprises at least two capacitive type pressure transducers, and the processor is to generate the control signals for controlling the remotely controlled device according to variations in the capacitance of each of the at least two capacitive type pressure transducers.

6. The remote controller as described in claim 5, wherein the capacitance type pressure transducer unit comprises four capacitive type pressure transducers which are symmetrically distributed at the corners of a square.

7. The remote controller as described in claim 1, wherein the capacitance type pressure transducer unit comprises a single circular capacitive type pressure transducer, the processor is to generate the control signals for controlling the remotely controlled device according to variations in the capacitance of different portions of the single capacitive type pressure transducer.