System and method for volumetric computing

• US 9,671,868 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2013
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kawalkar, Amit Nishikant
• Primary Examiner(s): BOYD, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/915,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20140361972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 345156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• 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 3/04883 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

Abstract

A system and method is provided for analyzing the movement of an object. The system is comprised of a sensor that is coupled to a processor that is configured to generate a volume that corresponds to a predefined area and the location of the object. The sensor detects the movement of the object and determines if the object'"'"'s movement is within the volume. If the movement is within the volume, then an information channel is created between the volume and the user defined algorithm. The movement is then compared with the requirements of the user defined algorithm and accepted if the movement meets the requirements. Otherwise, the object'"'"'s movement is discarded if the movement is not within the volume or does not meet the requirements of the user defined algorithm.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing an object'"'"'s movement relative to a two dimensional (2D) display, the method comprising:

associating a first region on the 2D display with a first function of a system, the first region having a size and location on the 2D display that is based on a significance of the first function;

associating second region on the 2D display with a second function of the system, the second region having a size and location on the 2D display that is based on a significance of the second function, wherein the second significance is less than the first significance, and the first region and the second region do not overlap;

detecting a location of the object;

generating a first volume that is a projection of the first region toward the object;

generating a second volume that is a projection of the second region toward the object;

detecting a movement of the object;

dividing the movement of the object into a first part that occurs within the first volume and a second part that occurs within the second volume; and

comparing the first part to an algorithm comprising interaction requirements specific to the first volume and its respective function, and comparing the second part to an algorithm comprising interaction requirements specific to the second volume and its respective function.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein object is a user and the object'"'"'s movement is a user'"'"'s three-dimensional gesture.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein, for each volume, generating the volume comprises projecting a respective region from the 2D display towards the object for a distance of less than or equal to a maximum depth.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein, for each region, projecting the region comprises increasing the dimensions of the respective area as distance from the display increases.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, for each region, determining a maximum depth based on the location of the object and a significance and function of the respective region.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising, for each volume, altering the shape of the volume based on the location of the object.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

for each volume, analyzing the part of the object'"'"'s movement that occurs within the respective volume.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising, for each volume, generating an information channel between the volume and an associated user defined algorithm.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

for each volume, discarding the object'"'"'s movement that occurs in the volume when the object'"'"'s movement does not meet requirements of the associated user defined algorithm; and

accepting the object'"'"'s movement that occurs in the volume when the object'"'"'s movement meets requirements of the user defined algorithm.

10. A volumetric computing system onboard an aircraft, comprising:

a 2D display;

a sensor for sensing (i) a location of a user, and (ii) a user interaction; and

a processor coupled to the 2D display and to the sensor and configured to (a) associate a first region on the 2D display with a first function of a system, the first region having a size and location on the 2D display that is based on a significance of the first function;

(b) associate a second region on the 2D display with a second function of a system, the first region having a size and location on the 2D display that is based on a significance of the second function, wherein the second significance is less than the first significance, and the first region and the second region do not overlap;

(c) generate (i) a first volume that is a projection of the first region toward the object, and iii) a second volume that is a projection of the second region toward the object (d) generate first interaction requirements specific to the first volume and second interaction requirements specific to the second volume;

(e) determine a part of the user interaction that is within the first volume and meets the first interaction requirements; and

(f) determine a part of the user interaction that is within the second volume and meets the second interaction requirements.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein the processor is further configured to (i) alter the direction of the sensor, and (ii) project a respective region from the 2D display towards the user for a distance based upon a significance of the region and the location of the user.

12. The system according to claim 10 wherein the processor is further configured to for each volume, analyze the part of the user interaction that occurs within the volume.

13. The system according to claim 12 further comprising, for each volume, generating an information channel between the volume and an associated user defined algorithm.