Wearable wireless HMI device

• US 9,846,482 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2016
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rohit Seth
• Original Assignee: Protocode Inc.
• Inventors: Seth, Rohit
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDULSELAM, ABBAS I
• Application Number:
  US15/237,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20170038839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• 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

Abstract

A wearable gesture control interface apparatus is used to control a controllable device based on gestures provided by a user. The wearable gesture control interface apparatus includes (i) sensors configured to detect user orientation and movement and generate corresponding sensor data and (ii) a microcontroller configured to: sample the sensor data from the sensors, determine whether the sensor data from one of the sensors meets transmission criteria; and if the sensor data meets the transmission criteria, transmitting control data corresponding to all of the sensors to the controllable device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an application of a controllable device based on user gestures performed by a user, comprising:

at a wearable gesture control interface apparatus having a microcontroller, a plurality of sensors for detecting user gestures performed by the user, and a memory storing programs for execution by the microcontroller;

sampling sensor data from the plurality of sensors in response to the user gestures;

determining whether the sensor data from at least one, less than all, of the plurality of sensors meets transmission criteria; and

in accordance with a determination that the sensor data from the at least one, less than all, of the plurality of sensors meets the transmission criteria, transmitting control data corresponding to the sensor data from the plurality of sensors to the controllable device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the controllable device is at least one of:

a vehicle, a gaming console, a visual display, a television, a home automation appliance, a sign-language interpretation application, a computer joystick, and a computer mouse.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application of the controllable device is a virtual reality application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise one or more of flex sensors;

user actuatable switch sensors including one or more of buttons, sliders, switches, joystick and touch pad; and

one or more motion sensors, including one or more of gyroscopes, magnetometers and accelerometers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise two or more sensors that measure a same characteristic of the user gesture.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control data includes a user gesture command that, when executed by the controllable device, causes the controllable device to perform an action.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting from a gesture database the one or more respective gesture commands based on the control data from the one or more sensors, wherein the gesture database stores associations between respective gesture commands and control data, and wherein when executed by the controllable device, the user gesture command causes the controllable device to perform an action.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the respective gesture commands is based on the control data from at least two or more sensors.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least two of the plurality of sensors includes a static sensor and one of:

an inertial sensor and a flex sensor.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors and the microcontroller are mounted to a glove or to a portion thereof attachable to a hand of the user.

11. A wearable gesture control interface apparatus for controlling an application of a controllable device based on gestures provided by a user, said wearable gesture control interface apparatus comprising:

a plurality of sensors for detecting user gestures performed by the user,

one or more memory units each operable to store at least one program; and

at least one microcontroller communicatively coupled to the one or more memory units, in which the at least one program, when executed by the at least one microcontroller, causes the at least one microcontroller to;

sample sensor data from the plurality of sensors in response to the user gestures;

determine whether the sensor data from at least one, less than all, of the plurality of sensors meets transmission criteria; and

in accordance with a determination that the sensor data from the at least one, less than all, of the plurality of sensors meets the transmission criteria, transmit control data corresponding to sensor data from the plurality of sensors to the controllable device.

12. The wearable gesture control interface apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controllable device is at least one of:

a vehicle, a gaming console, a visual display, a television, a home automation appliance, a sign-language interpretation application, a computer joystick, and a computer mouse.

13. The wearable gesture control interface apparatus of claim 11, wherein the application of the controllable device is a virtual reality application.

14. The wearable gesture control interface apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise one or more of flex sensors;

user actuatable switch sensors including or more of buttons, sliders, switches, joystick and touch pad; and

one or more motion sensors, including one or more of gyroscopes, magnetometers and accelerometers.

15. The wearable gesture control interface apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise two or more sensors that measure a same characteristic of the user gesture.

16. The wearable gesture control interface apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control data includes a user gesture command that, when executed by the controllable device, causes the controllable device to perform an action.

17. The wearable gesture control interface apparatus of claim 11, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to:

select from a gesture database the one or more respective gesture commands based on the control data from the one or more sensors,

wherein the gesture database stores associations between respective gesture commands and control data, and

wherein when executed by the controllable device, the user gesture command causes the controllable device to perform an action.

18. The wearable gesture control interface apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least one of the respective gesture commands is based on the control data from at least two or more sensors.

19. The wearable gesture control interface apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least two of the plurality of sensors includes a static sensor and one of:

an inertial sensor and a flex sensor.

20. The wearable gesture control interface apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensors and the microcontroller are mounted to a glove or to a portion thereof attachable to a hand of the user.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for controlling an application of a controllable device based on gestures provided by a user, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a wearable gesture control interface apparatus including a microcontroller and a plurality of sensors for detecting user gestures performed by the user, cause the microcontroller of the wearable gesture control interface apparatus to:

sample sensor data from the plurality of sensors in response to the user gestures;

determine whether the sensor data from at least one, less than all, of the plurality of sensors meets transmission criteria; and

in accordance with a determination that the sensor data from the at least one, less than all, of the plurality of sensors meets the transmission criteria, transmit control data corresponding to sensor data from the plurality of sensors to the controllable device.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the controllable device is at least one of:

a vehicle, a gaming console, a visual display, a television, a home automation appliance, a sign-language interpretation application, a computer joystick, and a computer mouse.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the application of the controllable device is a virtual reality application.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise one or more of flex sensors;

user actuatable switch sensors including or more of buttons, sliders, switches, joystick and touch pad; and

one or more motion sensors, including one or more of gyroscopes, magnetometers and accelerometers.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise two or more sensors that measure a same characteristic of the user gesture.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the control data includes a user gesture command that, when executed by the controllable device, causes the controllable device to perform an action.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to:

select from a gesture database the one or more respective gesture commands based on the control data from the one or more sensors,

wherein the gesture database stores associations between respective gesture commands and control data, and

wherein when executed by the controllable device, the user gesture command causes the controllable device to perform an action.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein at least one of the respective gesture commands is based on the control data from at least two or more sensors.

29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein the at least two of the plurality of sensors includes a static sensor and one of:

an inertial sensor and a flex sensor.

30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the plurality of sensors and the microcontroller are mounted to a glove or to a portion thereof attachable to a hand of the user.