Data input device

• US 9,958,942 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cap Wings Sweden AB
• Original Assignee: Asplund Data AB
• Inventors: Asplund, Lars
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): NEUPANE, KRISHNA P.
• Application Number:
  US14/382,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20150022446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,888 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wearable device and a method for determining a position of at least one finger of a hand relative to a predetermined reference point comprising a sensor unit in the palm of the hand comprising at least one sensor, a logic unit in operative engagement with a computer device and configured to generate a position signal based on the registered finger position, and to interpret and convert the signal to a command to be processed by the computer device, a housing at least partly enclosing the sensor unit and an attachment member. The wearable device is characterized in that the sensor is at least one image sensor directed towards a respective distal end of the at least one finger and configured to determine the position of the finger in relation to the wearable device.

Claims

1. A wearable device for determining a position of at least one finger of a hand relative to a predetermined reference point comprising:

a sensor device configured to be arranged in the palm of the hand comprising;

at least one first sensor which is an image sensor directed towards a respective distal end of the at least one finger and configured to determine the position of the finger in relation to the wearable device, the at least one first sensor being configured to register positions of said at least one finger in relation to the wearable device; and

a logic device in operative engagement with a computer device and configured to generate a position signal based on the registered finger position, and to interpret and convert the signal to a command to be processed by the computer device;

a housing at least partly enclosing the sensor device having an opening for the at least one sensor; and

an attachment member configured to attach the sensor device to the hand, and

the sensor device further comprises a second sensor, which is a camera directed towards a respective distal end of the at least one finger and configured to, in cooperation with the first image sensor, obtain accurate 3D-measurements of the position of the distal end of the at least one finger and to determine at least one of the position and orientation of the hand relative to the surface under the hand, in relation to the other hand, or in relation to another part of a human body,

wherein the logic device further comprises an inertia measurement device configured to also measure a translational and rotational movement of the hand, and that the first and second sensors and the inertia measurement device are configured to send digital signals, as a result of registered positions and movements by the first and second sensors and the inertia measurement device,

wherein the first and second sensors continuously send digital signals to respective calculating devices that enable two or more signals to be calculated in the same circuit at the same time by temporarily combining them into a single signal enabling measurement of the movements of at least one finger and of the hand by moving said finger in one or more predetermined direction and distance in relation to the reference point and in a predetermined direction at a predetermined velocity, and

wherein for the fingers, the reference point is the wearable device, and for the hand, the reference point is the surface under the hand.

2. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is also configured to determine the position of the at least one finger and hand in relation to a surface under the hand.

3. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor uses ambient light.

4. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor uses structured light.

5. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation devices are selected from an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Graphical Processing Unit (GPU), or a combination of these components.

6. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device further comprises a light source, which together with at least one of the first sensor or the second sensor, is configured to determine at least one of the position and orientation of the hand relative to the surface under the hand, in relation to the other hand, or in relation to another part of the human body.

7. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device further comprises a third sensor, which is an image sensor and comprised in an upper device, and configured to determine the position of the hand relative to an object or surface above the hand.

8. A method for determining a position of at least one finger on a hand relative to a predetermined reference point characterized in that the method comprises;

providing a wearable device comprising;

a sensor device configured to be arranged in a palm of the hand comprising;

at least one first sensor, which is an image sensor directed towards a respective distal end of the at least one finger and configured to determine the position of the finger in relation to the wearable device, the at least one first sensor being configured to register respective distal end of the at least one finger, and a second sensor, which is a camera directed towards a respective distal end of the at least one finger and configured to, in cooperation with the first image sensor, obtain accurate 3D-measurements of the position of the distal end of the at least one finger and to determine at least one of the position and orientation of the hand relative to the surface under the hand, in relation to the other hand, or in relation to another part of a human body;

a logic device in operative engagement with a computer device, wherein the logic device further comprises an inertia measurement device configured to also measure a translational and rotational movement of the hand, and that the first and second sensors and the inertia measurement device are configured to send digital signals, as a result of registered positions and movements by the first and second sensors and the inertia measurement device,

wherein the first and second sensors continuously send digital signals to respective calculating devices that enable two or more signals to be calculated in the same circuit at the same time by temporarily combining them into a single signal enabling measurement of the movements of at least one finger and of the hand by moving said finger in one or more predetermined direction and distance in relation to the reference point and in a predetermined direction at a predetermined velocity;

a housing at least partly enclosing the sensor device having an opening for the at least one sensor; and

an attachment member configured to attach the sensor device to the hand;

a first step of determining the reference point for the relative position of the hand and the at least one finger by holding the hand and the at least one finger in a predetermined position for a predetermined period, wherein the first step comprises;

registering the position of said hand and at least one finger in relation to at least one of the wearable device or to a surface under the hand; and

generating a signal based on the registered hand and finger position;

a second step of registering movement of the hand and at least one finger by moving at least one of said hand or finger in one or more predetermined direction and distance in relation to the reference point, wherein the second step comprises;

registering the positions of said hand and at least one finger in relation to at least one of the wearable device or to a surface under the hand;

generating a signal based on the registered hand and finger positions; and

interpreting and converting the signal to a command to be processed by the computer device, thereby using the relation between the registered positions in the first and the second step;

optionally repeating the second step; and

a third step of learning and memorizing movement of the hand and at least one finger by moving the hand and at least one finger in one or more predetermined direction at one or more predetermined velocity in relation to the predetermined reference point, wherein the third step comprises;

registering positions of said hand and at least one finger in relation to at least one of the wearable device or a surface under the hand, wherein for the fingers, the reference point is the wearable device, and for the hand, the reference point is the surface under the hand;

generating a signal based on the registered hand and finger positions; and

interpreting and converting the signal to a command to be processed by the computer device.

9. The wearable device according to claim 8, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to register a movement of the at least one finger in relation to the predetermined reference point along a first horizontal axis, along a second horizontal axis perpendicular to the first horizontal axis and along a vertical axis perpendicular to the first and second horizontal axes.

10. The wearable device according to claim 8, wherein he at least one sensor is configured to register a position and movement of at least one hand in relation to the predetermined reference point along a first horizontal axis, along a second horizontal axis perpendicular to the first horizontal axis and along a vertical axis perpendicular to the first and second horizontal axes.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the calculation devices are selected from an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Graphical Processing Unit (GPU), or a combination of these components.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the computer device comprises a screen configured to visualize one or more processed command as an electrical symbol on the screen.

13. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, said computer program product comprising computer code instructions configured to cause a computer device to determine a position of at least one finger on a hand relative to a predetermined reference point using a sensor device configured to be arranged in a palm of the hand, said sensor device comprising:

at least one first sensor, which is an image sensor directed towards a respective distal end of the at least one finger and configured to determine the position of the finger in relation to the wearable device, the at least one first sensor being configured to register respective distal end of the at least one finger, and a second sensor, which is a camera directed towards a respective distal end of the at least one finger and configured to, in cooperation with the first image sensor, obtain accurate 3D-measurements of the position of the distal end of the at least one finger and to determine at least one of the position and orientation of the hand relative to the surface under the hand, in relation to the other hand, or in relation to another part of a human body;

a logic device in operative engagement with a computer device, wherein the logic device further comprises an inertia measurement device configured to also measure a translational and rotational movement of the hand, and that the first and second sensors and the inertia measurement device are configured to send digital signals, as a result of registered positions and movements by the first and second sensors and the inertia measurement device,

wherein the first and second sensors continuously send digital signals to respective calculating devices that enable two or more signals to be calculated in the same circuit at the same time by temporarily combining them into a single signal enabling measurement of the movements of at least one finger and of the hand by moving said finger in one or more predetermined direction and distance in relation to the reference point and in a predetermined direction at a predetermined velocity;

a housing at least partly enclosing the sensor device having an opening for the at least one sensor; and

an attachment member configured to attach the sensor device to the hand;

the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising;

an executable portion configured to perform a first step of determining the reference point for the relative position of the hand and the at least one finger by holding the hand and the at least one finger in a predetermined position for a predetermined period, wherein the first step comprises;

registering the position of said hand and at least one finger in relation to at least one of the wearable device or a surface under the hand; and

generating a signal based on the registered hand and finger position;

an executable portion configured to perform a second step of registering movement of the hand and at least one finger by moving said hand and finger in one or more predetermined direction and distance in relation to the reference point, wherein the second step comprises;

registering the positions of said hand and at least one finger in relation to at least one of the wearable device or a surface under the hand;

generating a signal based on the registered hand and finger positions; and

interpreting and converting the signal to a command to be processed by the computer device, thereby using the relation between the registered positions in the first and the second step;

an executable portion configured to optionally repeating the second step; and

an executable portion configured to perform a third step of learning and memorizing movement of the hand and at least one finger by moving the hand and at least one finger in one or more predetermined direction at one or more predetermined velocity in relation to the predetermined reference point, wherein the third step comprises;

registering positions of said hand and at least one finger in relation to at least one of the wearable device or a surface under the hand, wherein for the fingers, the reference point is the wearable device, and for the hand, the reference point is the surface under the hand;

generating a signal based on the registered hand and finger positions; and

interpreting and converting the signal to a command to be processed by the computer device.