System for projecting content to a display surface having user-controlled size, shape and location/direction and apparatus and methods useful in conjunction therewith

• US 9,535,516 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2016
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Touchjet Israel Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Muv Interactive Ltd.
• Inventors: Parham, Rami
• Primary Examiner(s): Sharifi-Tafreshi, Koosha
• Application Number:
  US15/144,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20160320866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 246 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/173, 345/175, 715/863, 463/36, 463/37
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0331 Finger worn pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0308 comprising a plurality of distinctive and separately oriented light emitters or reflectors associated to the pointing device, e.g. remote cursor controller with distinct and separately oriented LEDs at the tip whose radiations are captured by a photo-detector associated to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• 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 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0386 for light pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 : for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 : by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/31 : Projection devices for colour picture display , e.g. using electronic spatial light modulators [ESLM]

Abstract

A system having a finger-wearable sleeve having an IR light-emitting diode (LED), an IR camera; and a controller associated with the IR camera. The controller is configured to communicate with a host computer that utilizes a visual content projector to project visual content onto the screen. And based on signals received from the IR camera (1) trigger a first input functionality in the host computer, wherein the first input functionality is based on a location on the screen where an IR beam from the IR laser impinges, and (2) trigger a second input functionality in the host computer, wherein the second input functionality is based on a location on the screen near where an IR beam from the IR LED is emitted.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least two finger-wearable devices, each comprising;

a sensor configured to sense at least a pinching of thumb to finger,

a light source, and

a controller configured to encode two or more commands in light emitted by said light source, wherein at least one of the commands is responsive to the sensor sensing the pinching;

a camera;

a screen; and

a computer associated with said camera and said screen, wherein said computer is configured to;

cause said screen to display visual content,

detect, using said camera;

the light emitted by said light sources of said at least two finger-wearable devices, and

a location from which said light sources emit the light,

trigger different input functionalities in said computer based on;

the two or more commands encoded in the light emitted by said light sources, and

the detected location from which said light sources emit the light.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said sensor comprises an FSR (Force-Sensing Resistor).

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said sensor comprises a capacitor.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of the different input functionalities is:

a cursor position control functionality that moves the cursor position on said screen responsive to motion of at least one of said finger-wearable device, wherein the motion is determined by the detecting changes in the location from which said light source of said at least one of said finger-wearable device emits the light.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of said finger-wearable devices comprises one or more components selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer and a gyro;

the computer is further configured to determine the motion also using said one or more components.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of the different input functionalities is a clicking functionality.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the clicking functionality is applied at a location in the displayed digital content that corresponds to the location from which said light source of said at least one of said finger-wearable device emits the light when issuing the command that is responsive to the force sensing actuator sensing the pinching.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

one of the different input functionalities is a drag-and-drop functionality;

the dragging is displayed on said screen and starts at a location on said screen corresponding to a location from which one of said light sources emit the light when the pinching initiates; and

the dropping is displayed on said screen and occurs at a location on said screen corresponding to a location from which one of said light sources emit the light when the pinching ceases.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

one of the different input functionalities is a swiping or scrolling functionality;

the swiping or scrolling is displayed on said screen and starts at a location on said screen corresponding to a location from which one of said light sources emit the light when the pinching initiates; and

the swiping or scrolling is displayed on said screen and ends at a location on said screen corresponding to a location from which one of said light sources emit the light when the pinching ceases.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of the different input functionalities is typing text on a virtual keyboard.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of said light sources is a LED (Light-Emitting Diode).

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said controllers of said finger-wearable devices are configured to encode the two or more commands differently for each of said finger-wearable devices.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said computer is further configured to differentiate between commands received from different ones of said finger-wearable devices based on the different encoding.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein one of the different input functionalities is a multi-touch functionality that is provided when said finger-wearable devices are each worn on a different hand of a human.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of the different input functionalities is:

a gesture mode that activates a specific operation in said computer based on a path of motion of at least one of said finger-wearable device,

wherein the motion is determined by the detecting changes in the location from which said light source of said at least one of said finger-wearable device emits the light.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said computer is further configured to record multiple ones of the path of motion, and to associate each of the paths of motion with a different one of multiple ones of the specific operation.