METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ACTIVATING A TOUCHLESS CONTROL

• US 20070125633A1
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navisense
• Original Assignee: Navisense
• Inventors: BOILLOT, MARC
• Granted Patent: US 7,834,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 200/52.R
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• 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 system (100) and method (160) for activating a touchless control is provided. The method can include detecting (162) a movement of a finger in a touchless sensing field, identifying (164) an activation cue in response to the finger movement, and activating (166) a touchless control of an object in response the activation cue. The method can include focusing the touchless sensing field (210) to produce a touchless projection space (220). An activation cue can be a positioning of a finger (302) within a bounded region (304) of the touchless projection space for a pre-determined amount of time. In one arrangement, cursor (124) navigation and control can be provided in accordance with touchless finger movements.

Claims

1. A system for touchless control comprising:

a touchless sensing unit, wherein said touchless sensing unit detects at least one activation cue from a finger in a touchless sensing field; and

a controller communicatively coupled to said sensing unit, wherein said controller activates a touchless control in response to said activation cue.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said touchless sensing unit further includes:

a detector, wherein said detector identifies a location and movement of the finger producing said activation cue;

a timer cooperatively connected to said detector, wherein said timer establishes a time window of receiving said activation cue; and

a processor cooperatively connected to said detector, wherein said processor acquires or releases the touchless control in view of said activation cue.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a display cooperatively connected to said controller, wherein said display visually presents a handle to an object under touchless control,

an indication element communicatively coupled to said detector, wherein said indication element informs a user that an activation cue has been identified.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said object is a cursor and said handle is a navigation and selection control of said cursor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said touchless sensing unit is an array of ultrasonic sensors, imaging elements, charge coupled devices (CCD), camera elements, or laser elements.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor focuses the touchless sensing field to produce a touchless projection space that includes at least one boundary for activating said activation cue.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the sensing unit projects the touchless projection space away from a surface of a display, such that a center of the touchless projection space does not coincide with a center of the display.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said indication element is one of a light emitting diode, a light contrast display (LCD), a color stick, or a software graphic display.

9. A method for touchless control comprising the steps of:

detecting at least one movement of a finger in a touchless sensing field;

identifying an activation cue in response to said at least one finger movement; and

activating a touchless control of an object in response the activation cue.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

focusing the touchless sensing field to produce a touchless projection space,

wherein said activation cue is a positioning of the finger within a bounded region of the touchless projection space.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

enabling a touchless control upon identifying an activation cue within a first bounded region of a touchless projection space; and

disabling said touchless control upon identifying an activation cue outside a second bounded region of the touchless projection space.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising detecting a length of time the finger is at a location within a bounded region.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising presenting an indication when a touchless control is enabled or disabled in response to an activation cue.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising adjusting a sensitivity based on a position of said finger and a time length of said finger at said position, wherein adjusting said sensitivity changes an intensity of the touchless projection space.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein a touchless control is a single click, a double click, a scroll, a hold, a select, or a release.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of granting touchless control further comprises associating relative finger movements with activation cues for acquiring and releasing the touchless control.

18. The machine readable storage of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a forward accelerated finger movement as an activation cue to enable touchless control of the object; and

identifying a backward accelerated finger movement as an activation cue to disable touchless control of the object.

19. The machine readable storage of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a downward accelerated finger movement as an activation cue to enable touchless control of the object; and

identifying an upward accelerated finger movement as an activation cue to disable touchless control of the object.

20. The machine readable storage of claim 15, further comprising increasing an intensity of the touchless projection space in response to detecting a finger within the first boundary region.

17. A machine readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a portable computing device for causing the portable computing device to perform the steps of:

enabling a navigation control when a finger is within a first boundary region of a touchless projection space;

controlling an object in accordance with a movement of at least one finger, when said finger is within said touchless projection space;

disabling said navigation control when said finger is outside a second boundary region of said touchless projection space; and

re-enabling said navigation control when said finger returns to a region within said first boundary, for controlling said object in accordance with said movement when said finger is within said touchless projection space;

wherein said object remains at a position where navigation control is disabled and resumes movement when said finger returns to said first boundary region.