Slither sensor

• US 9,811,182 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2013
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bittencourt, Alfredo Xavier, Cassa, Leandro
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUBEDI, DEEPROSE D
• Application Number:
  US13/904,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20140078057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-179, 349 12
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

An illustrative embodiment of an apparatus for a sensing array comprising a bus, a set of spaced apart elements connected to the bus, wherein each element of the set of elements generates a signal representative of a stimulation when received at each element, a signal processor in communication with the bus, wherein the signal processor generates vector information using an aggregation of the signals from the set of elements and a transmitter for sending the vector information to an application interface wherein the vector information indicates a movement within the sensing array.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a sensing array, the apparatus comprising:

a bus;

a plurality of spaced apart deformable elements connected to the bus, the deformable elements comprising elongated rectangular ribs, each pair of the elongated rectangular ribs separated by an inter-sensor unit gap sized to accommodate a finger within a glove, wherein each element of the plurality of elements generates a signal representative of a stimulation received, the stimulation comprising a direct physical contact of a gloved finger of a user with the element and a temporary deformation of the element in a direction of movement of the gloved finger of the user, each individual element providing independent tactile feedback to the finger of the user within the glove as the gloved finger of the user is moved from one of the elements to another of the elements;

a signal processor in communication with the bus, wherein the signal processor generates vector information using an aggregation of the signals from the plurality of elements; and

a transmitter for sending the vector information to an application interface, wherein the vector information indicates a movement of the gloved finger of the user across the deformable elements of the sensing array.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bus further comprises:

a sensor data collector for collecting signals representative of the stimulation received from each element of the plurality of elements.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each element of the plurality of elements is a sensor unit comprising:

a receptor for receiving a stimulation;

a sensor element for transforming a received stimulation into a signal; and

a signal medium for transmitting the signal from the element to a sensor data collector.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stimulation received is other than capacitive or conductive.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a signal processor in communication with the bus further comprises:

a sensor data analyzer for processing each signal representative of the stimulation received from each element of the plurality of elements, wherein the sensor data analyzer aggregates a set of signals from the bus to generate vector information representative of an orientation and speed of a movement detected in the plurality of elements.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of elements comprises:

a plurality of sensor units, wherein each sensor unit is separated from an adjacent sensor unit by the inter-receptor gap; and

a sensor unit attachment, wherein each sensor unit is connected to the sensor unit attachment, using the signal medium, for transmitting a signal representative of the stimulation received.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of elements comprises a sensor array.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of elements is oriented to receive stimulation along one axis.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter for sending the vector information to an application interface further comprises:

sending the vector information to a controller, wherein the controller controls an action including at least one of a user interface display on a display device, and a device setting operation.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor array is included on a surface of a pointing device.

11. A computer-implemented method for using a sensor array, the computer-implemented method comprising:

at each of a plurality of sensor units in the sensor array, wherein each sensor unit includes a deformable receptor attached to a sensor element, each deformable element comprises an elongated rectangular rib, each pair of the elongated rectangular ribs of the plurality of sensor units separated by an inter-sensor unit gap sized to accommodate a finger within a glove;

receiving a motion at the deformable receptor of the sensor unit, causing a displacement of the receptor, in response to a direct physical contact of the gloved finger of a user with the receptor and a temporary deformation of the receptor in a direction of movement of the gloved finger of the user across the receptor, each individual receptor providing independent tactile feedback to the finger within the glove of the user as the gloved finger of the user is moved from one of the receptors to another of the receptors;

detecting the displacement of the receptor at the sensor element attached to the receptor; and

generating a signal by the sensor unit according to the displacement of the attached receptor;

receiving the generated signals from the plurality of sensor units at a sensor data collector, the sensor data collector aggregating the received signals from the plurality of sensor units;

analyzing the received signals; and

generating vector information indicating a movement of the gloved finger of the user across the deformable elements of the sensing array, using the aggregation of received signals, as analyzed sensor data output.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein each sensor unit further comprises:

the receptor for receiving a stimulation;

the sensor element for transforming a received stimulation into a signal; and

a signal medium for transmitting the signal from the element to a sensor data collector.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein analyzing the received signals further comprises:

analyzing the received signals from the sensor elements, wherein the sensor elements are oriented to receive stimulation in one axial direction.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein receiving signals from the sensor unit at a sensor data collector further comprises:

receiving one of a digital signal and an analog signal.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein generating vector information as analyzed sensor data output further comprises:

sending the vector information to a controller, wherein the controller controls an action including at least one of a user interface display on a display device, and a device setting operation.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein generating vector information as analyzed sensor data output further comprises:

generating vector information indicative of speed and direction of travel of the stimulation and independent of a specific receptor for direction and speed determination, wherein interpretation of movement is calculated using a relative displacement basis.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein analyzing the received signals further comprises:

aggregating a set of signals to generate vector information representative of an orientation and speed of a movement detected in the sensor elements.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

deforming the receptors engaged responsive to a speed and direction of the motion and wherein the displacement of the receptors is indicative of the speed and direction of travel of the motion.