Electronic system with wearable interface mechanism and method of operation thereof

• US 9,772,684 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2015
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shi, Meng
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam V
• Application Number:
  US14/748,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20160077581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 340546, 3404071, 3405455, 340669, 340 125, 341 20, 341 35, 345156, 345169, 345173, 345684, 715863, 715864
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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 3/0346 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

Abstract

An electronic system includes: a fastening portion of a joint-wearable device, the fastening portion configured to physically secure the joint-wearable device for affixing the joint-wearable device relative to a physiological joint of a user; and a joint sensor of the joint-wearable device, the joint sensor connected to the fastening portion and configured to generate a sensor output for representing a joint movement associated with the physiological joint in controlling the electronic system according to the joint movement.

Claims

1. An electronic system comprising:

a fastening portion of a joint-wearable device, the fastening portion configured to physically secure the joint-wearable device for affixing the joint-wearable device relative to a physiological joint of a user;

a multiple instances of a joint sensor of the joint-wearable device, the joint sensor connected to the fastening portion and configured to generate a sensor output for representing a joint movement associated with the physiological joint in controlling the electronic system according to the joint movement; and

wherein the multiple instances of the joint sensor including;

a first-direction sensor configured to detect a direction of the joint movement; and

a first opposing sensor configured to detect an opposite direction of the joint movement from the direction of the joint movement detected by the first-direction sensor along a same plane.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a communication unit of the joint-wearable device, coupled to the joint sensor, configured to communicate the sensor output for generating an action command using a further device.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a control unit of the joint-wearable device, coupled to the joint sensor, configured to generate an action command based on the sensor output, the action command for controlling the electronic system according to the joint movement.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the fastening portion is configured to physically secure the joint-wearable device for affixing a first instance of the joint sensor on a reference side associated with the physiological joint; and

further comprising;

a further instance of the joint sensor of the joint-wearable device, the further instance of the joint sensor connected to the fastening portion for affixing the further instance of the joint sensor opposite the reference side.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the fastening portion is configured to physically secure the joint-wearable device for affixing the joint sensor in association with a positive direction for the physiological joint; and

further comprising;

a further-direction sensor of the joint-wearable device, the further-direction sensor connected to the fastening portion for affixing the further-direction sensor in association with a further direction forming an angle with the positive direction.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the fastening portion is configured to physically secure the joint-wearable device for affixing the joint-wearable device relative to the physiological joint connecting a first physiological segment and a second physiological segment; and

the joint sensor is configured to generate the sensor output for generating an action command corresponding to the joint movement to control the electronic system.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a central portion of the joint-wearable device connected to the fastening portion; and

wherein;

the joint sensor is directly connected to or embedded in the central portion, the fastening portion, or a combination thereof.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fastening portion is configured to secure the joint sensor for affixing the joint sensor overlapping the physiological joint, attached to a first physiological segment adjacent to the physiological joint and oriented with a sensing direction of the joint sensor extending across the physiological joint toward a second physiological segment, or a combination thereof.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the joint sensor includes a force sensor, an energy sensor, a contact sensor, or a combination thereof.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a signal generator connected to the fastening portion and configured to emit an energy for detection by the joint sensor;

wherein;

the joint sensor is configured to generate the sensor output based on detecting the energy from the signal generator in relation to the physiological joint, a first physiological segment, a second physiological segment, or a combination thereof.