User interface control of responsive devices

• US 10,627,914 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2018
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pison Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pison Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Ang, Dexter W., Cipoletta, David O, Karnes, Samuel J., Kowalczyk, Michael P., Patel, Salil H., Trambert, Steven D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, William
• Application Number:
  US16/055,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20200042088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/005 initial alignment, calibration or starting-up of inertial devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Among other things, a user interface device has a sensor configured to detect, at a wrist of a human, nerve or other tissue electrical signals associated with an intended contraction of a muscle to cause a rapid motion of a finger. An output provides information representative of the nerve or other tissue electrical signals associated with the intended contraction of the muscle to an interpreter of the information.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising

a wrist worn user interface device having

a sensor configured to detect, at a top surface of a wrist of a human, nerve or other tissue electrical signals associated with intended contractions and extensions of a muscle to cause a particular single gesture, the particular single gesture comprising all of:

(a) repeated flicks up of only an index finger of the hand attached to the wrist, (b) each of the repeated flicks up of the particular single gesture having an extent less than 5 cm and a duration less than one-half second, and (c) each of the repeated flicks up of the particular single gesture comprising an intended contraction and extension of only the index finger,

an output configured to provide to an interpreter raw data representative of the nerve or other tissue electrical signals associated with the intended contractions and extensions of the muscle, and

an interpreter configured to receive and interpret the raw data representative of the nerve or other tissue electrical signals and provide an indication of the particular single gesture comprising all of (a) through (c), the indication being provided to a responsive device not located on the hand attached to the wrist to cause the responsive device to treat the indication of the particular single gesture as an invocation of a user interface control of a display.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a responsive device coupled to the interpreter and configured to respond to the intended contractions and extensions of the muscle by an action.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the responsive device is configured to respond by an action that includes changing an audio or visual presentation to the human.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which the responsive device is configured to respond by an action that includes changing the audio or visual presentation as if the intended contraction of the muscle corresponded to an invocation of a user interface control.

5. An apparatus comprising

a wrist-worn user interface device having

a sensor configured to detect, at a top surface of a wrist of a human hand, nerve or other tissue electrical signals associated (a) with an activation of a muscle intended to cause a first motion of the hand, the first motion of the hand comprising a rotation of a palm relative to an elbow, and (b) with an activation of a muscle intended to cause, at a time during or at the end of the first motion, a stationary hold of the hand,

an output configured to provide to an interpreter information representative of the nerve or other tissue electrical signals associated with the activations intended to cause the first motion and the stationary hold, and

an interpreter configured to receive and interpret the information representative of the nerve or other tissue electrical signals and to provide, based on the information representative of the nerve or other tissue electrical signals, (a) a first indication of the activation intended to cause the first motion comprising the rotation of the palm relative to the elbow, and (b) a second indication of the activation of the motion intended to cause the stationary hold, the first indication configured to cause an action to be performed on a display of a responsive device not mounted on the hand, the action comprising rotating, in three-dimensional space, a displayed graphical element comprising a three-dimensional representation of an object, the second indication being configured to cause the responsive device to continue the rotating to be performed on the display of the responsive device during at least a part of the stationary hold.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the action includes changing an audio or visual presentation to the human.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the motion of the hand comprises a motion of a finger of the hand.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 in which the action includes continuing the change of the audio or visual presentation.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 in which

the first motion comprises an index finger lift, and

the second motion comprises the finger being held stationary during or at the end of the index finger lift.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the object comprises a presented assembly.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the sensor is configured to detect, at the top surface of the wrist of the human hand, nerve or other tissue electrical signals associated (c) with an activation of a muscle intended to cause a finger flick, and in which the interpreter is configured to receive and interpret the information representative of the nerve or other tissue electrical signals into provide, based on the information representative of the nerve or other tissue electrical signals, (c) a third indication of the activation of the motion intended to cause the finger flick.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 in which the third indication is configured to cause the responsive device to present an exploded view of the presented assembly.