Effects of gravity on gestures

• US 8,786,547 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2010
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Soldan, Eric R., Oetzel, Kenneth G.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US12/978,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20120165074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Techniques involving an effect of gravity on gestures are described. In one or more implementations, the techniques describe gestures that are usable to provide inputs and therefore initiate operations of a computing device, such as a mobile communications device having telephone functionality. The techniques described herein may be employed to reduce an effect of gravity on an input that describes the gesture. A variety of different gestures are contemplated, such as gestures that are recognized as involving acceleration, e.g., acceleration.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recognizing an input received by a computing device as describing acceleration;

reducing an effect of gravity from the input by the computing device; and

identifying a gesture from the input that has the effect of gravity reduced by comparing an order of a plurality of crossings of positive and negative thresholds for one or more of the x, y, or z axis described by the input with a description of the gesture that specifies an order of a plurality of crossings of positive and negative thresholds for one or more of the x, y, or z axis, the gesture effective to cause an operation to be performed by the computing device.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the input describes proper acceleration.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the acceleration involves acceleration of the computing device through a plurality of axes.

4. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising detecting the input using a plurality of accelerometers.

5. A method as described in claim 4, wherein the detecting is performed for at least three axes.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the reducing the effect of gravity from the input includes computing an effect of the gravity on the acceleration in a plurality of axes beyond a threshold.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the reducing the effect of gravity from the input involves quaternion interpolation.

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the operation involves interaction with a user interface output by the computing device.

9. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the input describes acceleration of the computing device beyond a threshold for one or more of an x, y, or z axis.

10. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the identifying is performed without performing integration on the input that has the effect of gravity removed.

11. A method comprising:

recognizing an input as involving acceleration of a mobile communication device beyond a threshold for one or more of an x, y, or z axis; and

identifying a gesture from the input that has an effect of gravity reduced from one or more of the x, y, or z axis without performing integration on the input that has the effect of gravity reduced, the gesture being identified from a plurality of gestures that are defined using a respective order of a plurality of crossings of positive and negative thresholds for the x, y, or z axes, the gesture effective to cause an operation to be performed by the mobile communication device.

12. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the effect of gravity is reduced for the one or more of the x, y, or z axis using interpolation of an area of a curve described by the input that is beyond the threshold.

13. A method as described in claim 11, further comprising detecting the acceleration of the mobile communication device using one or more accelerometers of the mobile communication device.

14. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the operation involves interaction with a user interface output by the mobile communication device.

15. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the mobile communication device includes telephone functionality to make and receive telephone calls.

16. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the identifying of the gesture involves comparing a plurality of crossings of the threshold for one or more of the x, y, or z axis described by the input with a description of the gesture that specifies particular said crossing for particular said one or more of the x, y, or z axis.

17. A mobile communication device comprising:

a housing;

a display device disposed on the housing and configured to be viewable by a user;

one or more accelerometers disposed within the housing and configured to detect acceleration through an x, y, and z axis; and

one or more modules disposed within the housing an communicatively coupled to the accelerometers and the display device, the one or more modules configured to recognize an input detected using the one or more accelerometers as describing acceleration of the mobile communication device through the x, y, or z axis, reduce an effect of gravity from the input using interpolation and corresponding threshold for each of the x, y, or z axis, and identify a gesture from the input having the effect of gravity reduced by comparing an order of a plurality of crossings of positive and negative thresholds for one or more of the x, y, or z axis described by the input with a description of the gesture that specifies an order of a plurality of crossings of positive and negative thresholds for one or more of the x, y, or z axis.

18. A mobile communication device as described in claim 17, wherein the one or more modules are configured to reduce the effect of gravity by computing for each curve of the input describing acceleration of the mobile communication device through a respective said x, y, or z axis:

an area beyond a respective said threshold for the curve;

a time at a start of the curve;

a time at an end of the curve,

a time of a peak of the curve; and

an amplitude of the curve.

19. A mobile communication device as described in claim 17, wherein the effect of gravity is reduced from the input using quaternion interpolation of at least two samples taken from the input.

20. A mobile communication device as described in claim 17, wherein the one or more modules include telephone functionality sufficient to wirelessly communicate via a telephone network.