Surface determination via bone conduction

• US 9,600,079 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baldwin, Christopher, Amento, Brian S.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUIN, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US14/514,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20160109951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 340/12.5
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for surface determination via bone conduction. According to one aspect, a user device can identify a surface via bone conduction. The user device can identify one or more controllable devices to control using the surface. The user device can detect a user interaction, such as a gesture, performed by a user on the surface. The user device can provide an instruction to the controllable device(s) to cause the controllable device(s) to perform one or more operations in response to the user interaction with the surface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a user device, a surface via bone conduction, wherein the identifying comprises

generating a bone conduction signal,

sending the bone conduction signal through a bone of a user and through the surface,

receiving a modified bone conduction signal comprising the bone conduction signal as modified by the bone of the user and the surface,

removing, from the modified bone conduction signal, a body characteristic associated with an effect of the bone of the user on the bone conduction signal,

comparing the modified bone conduction signal sans the body characteristic to a plurality of surface signatures of a reference database, and

receiving, from the reference database, a surface identification associated with a surface signature of the plurality of surface signatures, wherein the surface signature uniquely identifies the surface to the user device;

identifying, by the user device, a controllable device to control using the surface;

detecting, by the user device, a user interaction with the surface; and

providing, by the user device, an instruction to the controllable device to cause the controllable device to perform an operation in response to the user interaction with the surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying, by the user device, the controllable device to control using the surface comprises:

querying the reference database to determine whether any controllable device is associated with the surface signature; and

receiving, from the reference database, a controllable device identification associated with the controllable device, the controllable device identification identifying the controllable device to the user device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising establishing, by the user device, a connection to the controllable device via a local network;

and wherein providing, by the user device, the instruction to the controllable device to cause the controllable device to perform the operation in response to the user interaction comprises providing, by the user device, the instruction to the controllable device via the connection established via the local network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting, by the user device, the user interaction with the surface comprises detecting, by the user device, a gesture performed by a user who is in physical contact with the surface, the gesture being detected by the user device via bone conduction.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein detecting, by the user device, the gesture performed by the user who is in physical contact with the surface comprises:

generating a gesture measurement signal;

sending the gesture measurement signal through the bone of the user and through the surface while the user is in physical contact with the surface;

receiving a modified gesture measurement signal, the modified gesture measurement signal comprising the gesture measurement signal as modified by the bone of the user and the surface;

comparing the modified gesture measurement signal to a plurality of user interaction identifications of the reference database, each of the plurality of user interaction identifications being associated with signal characteristics of a user interaction; and

determining, based upon comparing the modified gesture measurement signal to the reference database, the gesture.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prompting the user to contact the surface;

generating a measurement signal;

sending the measurement signal through the bone of the user and through the surface;

receiving a modified measurement signal;

removing, from the modified measurement signal, the body characteristic associated with the effect of the bone of the user on the measurement signal;

comparing the modified measurement signal sans the body characteristic associated with the effect of the bone of the user on the measurement signal to the measurement signal to isolate the surface signature associated with the surface; and

causing the surface signature to be saved in the reference database in association with the surface identification.

7. A user device comprising:

a transducer;

a processor; and

a memory that stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

identifying a surface via bone conduction, wherein the identifying comprises generating a bone conduction signal,

sending, via the transducer, the bone conduction signal through a bone of a user and through the surface,

receiving, via the transducer, a modified bone conduction signal, the modified bone conduction signal comprising the bone conduction signal as modified by the bone of the user and the surface,

removing, from the modified bone conduction signal, a body characteristic associated with an effect of the bone of the user on the bone conduction signal,

comparing the modified bone conduction signal sans the body characteristic to a plurality of surface signatures of a reference database, and

receiving, from the reference database, a surface identification associated with a surface signature of the plurality of surface signatures, wherein the surface signature uniquely identifies the surface to the user device,

identifying a controllable device to control using the surface,

detecting a user interaction with the surface, and

providing an instruction to the controllable device to cause the controllable device to perform an operation in response to the user interaction with the surface.

8. The user device of claim 7, wherein identifying the controllable device to control using the surface comprises:

querying the reference database to determine whether any controllable device is associated with the surface signature; and

receiving, from the reference database, a controllable device identification associated with the controllable device, the controllable device identification identifying the controllable device to the user device.

9. The user device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise establishing a connection to the controllable device via a local network;

and wherein providing the instruction to the controllable device to cause the controllable device to perform the operation in response to the user interaction comprises providing, by the user device, the instruction to the controllable device via the connection established via the local network.

10. The user device of claim 7, wherein detecting the user interaction with the surface comprises detecting a gesture performed by a user who is in physical contact with the surface, the gesture being detected by the user device via bone conduction.

11. The user device of claim 10, wherein detecting, by the user device, the gesture performed by the user who is in physical contact with the surface comprises:

generating a gesture measurement signal;

sending the gesture measurement signal through a bone of the user and through the surface while the user is in physical contact with the surface;

receiving a modified gesture measurement signal, the modified gesture measurement signal comprising the gesture measurement signal as modified by the bone of the user and the surface;

comparing the modified gesture measurement signal to a plurality of user interaction identifications of the reference database, each of the plurality of user interaction identifications being associated with signal characteristics of a user interaction; and

determining, based upon comparing the modified gesture measurement signal to the reference database, the gesture.

12. The user device of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise

prompting the user to contact the surface;

generating a measurement signal;

sending the measurement signal through the bone of the user and through the surface;

receiving a modified measurement signal;

removing, from the modified measurement signal, the body characteristic associated with the effect of the bone of the user on the measurement signal;

comparing the modified measurement signal sans the body characteristic associated with the effect of the bone of the user on the measurement signal to the measurement signal to isolate the surface signature associated with the surface; and

causing the surface signature to be saved in the reference database in association with the surface identification.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor of a user device, cause the user device to perform operations comprising:

identifying a surface via bone conduction, wherein the identifying comprises

generating a bone conduction signal,

sending the bone conduction signal through a bone of a user and through the surface,

receiving a modified bone conduction signal, the modified bone conduction signal comprising the bone conduction signal as modified by the bone of the user and the surface,

removing, from the modified bone conduction signal, a body characteristic associated with an effect of the bone of the user on the bone conduction signal,

comparing the modified bone conduction signal sans the body characteristic to a plurality of surface signatures of a reference database, and

receiving, from the reference database, a surface identification associated with a surface signature of the plurality of surface signatures, wherein the surface signature uniquely identifies the surface to the user device;

identifying a controllable device to control using the surface;

detecting a user interaction with the surface; and

providing an instruction to the controllable device to cause the controllable device to perform an operation in response to the user interaction with the surface.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein identifying the controllable device to control using the surface comprises:

querying the reference database to determine whether any controllable device is associated with the surface signature; and

receiving, from the reference database, a controllable device identification associated with the controllable device, the controllable device identification identifying the controllable device to the user device.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise establishing a connection to the controllable device via a local network;

and wherein providing the instruction to the controllable device to cause the controllable device to perform the operation in response to the user interaction comprises providing the instruction to the controllable device via the connection established via the local network.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein detecting the user interaction with the surface comprises:

generating a gesture measurement signal;

sending the gesture measurement signal through a bone of a user and through the surface while the user is in physical contact with the surface;

receiving a modified gesture measurement signal, the modified gesture measurement signal comprising the gesture measurement signal as modified by the bone of the user and the surface;

comparing the modified gesture measurement signal to a plurality of user interaction identifications of the reference database, each of the plurality of user interaction identifications being associated with signal characteristics of a user interaction; and

determining, based upon comparing the modified gesture measurement signal to the reference database, the gesture.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

prompting the user to contact the surface;

generating a measurement signal;

sending the measurement signal through the bone of the user and through the surface;

receiving a modified measurement signal;

removing, from the modified measurement signal, the body characteristic associated with the effect of the bone of the user on the measurement signal;

comparing the modified measurement signal sans the body characteristic associated with the effect of the bone of the user on the measurement signal to the measurement signal to isolate the surface signature associated with the surface; and

causing the surface signature to be saved in the reference database in association with the surface identification.