Radar-based gesture-recognition at a surface of an object

• US 10,948,996 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2019
• Issued: 03/16/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Poupyrev, Ivan, Aiello, Gaetano Roberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Ritchie, Darlene M
• Application Number:
  US16/669,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20200064924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/411 Identification of targets based on measurements of radar reflectivity G01S7/415 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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

This document describes techniques and devices for radar-based gesture-recognition through a wearable device. The techniques enable an easy-to-use input interface through this wearable radar device, in contrast to small or difficult-to-use input interfaces common to wearable computing devices. Further, these techniques are not limited to interfacing with wearable computing devices, but may aid users in controlling various non-wearable devices, such as to control volume on a stereo, pause a movie playing on a television, or select a webpage on a desktop computer.

Claims

1. A radar-based gesture-recognition system comprising:

a microwave radio element that emits microwave radiation that is tailored to human tissue by using particular frequencies that substantially penetrate clothing material while not substantially penetrating human tissue, the emitted microwave radiation configured to provide a localized radar field conforming to a surface of an object;

an antenna element that senses interactions at the surface of the object and within the localized radar field;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to;

differentiate, based on the interactions sensed by the antenna element according to particular frequencies used to tailor the emitted microwave radiation to human tissue, user interactions caused by human tissue from other interactions that are not caused by human tissue;

determine, based on the user interactions and not the other interactions, a gesture performed at the surface of the object; and

output an indication of the determined gesture.

2. The radar-based gesture-recognition system of claim 1, wherein the microwave radio element emits the microwave radiation in a 3 GHz to 300 GHz range.

3. The radar-based gesture-recognition system of claim 1, wherein the antenna element senses the interactions at a resolution of approximately two to twenty-five millimeters based on the microwave radiation being in the 3 GHz to 300 GHz range.

4. The radar-based gesture-recognition system of claim 1, wherein the surface of the object is at least partially curved.

5. The radar-based gesture-recognition system of claim 1, wherein the surface of the object is planar.

6. The radar-based gesture-recognition system of claim 1, wherein the microwave radio element emits the microwave radiation as continuously modulated radiation, ultra-wideband radiation, or sub-millimeter-frequency radiation.

7. The radar-based gesture-recognition system of claim 1, wherein:

the microwave radio element forms the microwave radiation into individual beams;

the localized radar field is divided into one or more selectable control regions resulting from each of the individual beams; and

the antenna element senses the interactions at the surface of the object and within the localized radar field by sensing the interaction at the surface of the object in response to detecting an interruption associated with a particular beam from the individual beams.

8. A method implemented by a radar-based gesture-recognition system comprising:

emitting, using a microwave radio element of the radar-based gesture recognition system, microwave radiation tailored to human tissue by using particular frequencies that substantially penetrate clothing material while not substantially penetrating human tissue, the microwave radiation emitted to provide a localized radar field conforming to a surface of an object;

sensing, with an antenna element of the radar-based gesture-recognition system, interactions at the surface of the object and within the localized radar field;

differentiating, from the sensed interactions associated with the particular frequencies used to tailor the microwave radiation to human tissue, user interactions that are from human tissue from other interactions that are not from human tissue;

determining, based on the differentiated user interactions that are from human tissue, a gesture performed at the surface of the object; and

outputting data corresponding to the determined gesture.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

dividing the localized radar field into one or more selectable control regions, wherein sensing the interactions at the surface of the object and within the localized radar is based on detecting an interruption associated with a particular control region from the one or more selectable control regions.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

emitting the microwave radiation comprises forming the microwave radiation into individual beams corresponding to each of the one or more selectable control regions; and

detecting the interruption associated with the particular control region from detecting an interruption of a particular beam from the individual beams.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the gesture performed at the surface of the object comprises recognizing the gesture as a two-dimensional gesture or a three-dimensional gesture.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein:

emitting the microwave radiation comprises emitting the microwave radiation in a 3 GHz to 300 GHz range; and

sensing the interaction comprises sensing, based on the microwave radiation in the 3 GHz to 300 GHz range, the interaction to a resolution of approximately two to 25 millimeters at the surface of the object.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein outputting the data corresponding to the determined gesture comprises outputting the data corresponding to the determined gesture to a remote device for controlling an audio interface provided by the remote device.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein outputting the data corresponding to the determined gesture comprises outputting the data corresponding to the determined gesture to a remote device for controlling a graphical interface provided by the remote device.

15. A computer-readable storage media having instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

cause a microwave radio element to emit microwave radiation that;

is tailored to human tissue by using particular frequencies that substantially penetrate clothing material while not substantially penetrating human tissue; and

provides a localized radar field conforming to a surface of an object;

receive interactions sensed, with an antenna element, at the surface of the object and within the localized radar field;

differentiate, from the sensed interactions associated with the particular frequencies used to tailor the microwave radiation to human tissue, user interactions that are from human tissue from other interactions that are not from human tissue;

determine, based on the differentiated user interactions that are from human tissue, a gesture performed at the surface of the object; and

output data corresponding to the determined gesture.

16. The computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

divide the localized radar field into one or more selectable control regions; and

sense the interactions at the surface of the object and within the localized radar field by detecting an interruption associated with a particular control region from the one or more selectable control regions.

17. The electronic apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to determine the gesture performed at the surface of the object by recognizing the gesture as a two-dimensional gesture or a three-dimensional gesture.

18. The electronic apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

emit the microwave radiation by emitting the microwave radiation in a 3 GHz to 300 GHz range; and

sense the interaction by sensing, based on the microwave radiation in the 3 GHz to 300 GHz range, the interaction to a resolution of approximately two to 25 millimeters at the surface of the object.

19. The electronic apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to output the data corresponding to the determined gesture by outputting the data corresponding to the determined gesture to a remote device for controlling an audio interface provided by the remote device.

20. The electronic apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to output the data corresponding to the determined gesture by outputting the data corresponding to the determined gesture to a remote device for controlling a graphical interface provided by the remote device.