System and method for manipulating portable equipment using foot motion

• US 20070149361A1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Ki-Tae, An, Jong-Hyun, Shin, Jong-Pil, Kim, Ok-Hyeon, Jung, Un-Suk, Yoon, Sung-Pyo
• Granted Patent: US 8,021,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/8
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0644 with display speed of moving landscape controlled by the user's performance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0055 the produced electric power used as a source for other equipment, e.g. for TVs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/00 Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements force-resisting aspects A63B21/00; for particular parts of the body, e.g. to strengthen particular limbs or muscles A63B23/00; electric or electronic controls therefor A63B24/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/16 Angular positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/34 Angular speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user

Abstract

Provided is a system and method for manipulating portable equipment using a foot motion. The system includes a foot motion sense module for sensing a user'"'"'s foot motion, and collecting sensor data based on the user'"'"'s foot motion, and the portable equipment for receiving the sensor data based on the user'"'"'s foot motion, recognizing the foot motion, and performing a portable equipment function in response to the foot motion recognition result.

Claims

1. A system for manipulating portable equipment using a foot motion, the system comprising:

a foot motion sense module for sensing a user'"'"'s foot motion, and collecting sensor data based on the user'"'"'s foot motion; and

the portable equipment for receiving the sensor data based on the user'"'"'s foot motion, recognizing the foot motion, and performing a portable equipment function depending on a foot motion recognition result.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the foot motion sense module recognizes the foot motion using the sensor data based on the foot motion, and provides the foot motion recognition result to the portable equipment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the foot motion sense module comprises:

a sensing unit for sensing the user'"'"'s foot motion, and outputting the sensor data based on the foot motion;

a controller for controlling and collecting the sensor data based on the foot motion, and transmitting the collected sensor data based on the foot motion to the portable equipment; and

a local area radio communication unit for transmitting the sensor data to the portable equipment using a local area radio communication.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller controls and recognizes the foot motion from the collected sensor data based on the foot motion, and transmits the foot motion recognition result to the portable equipment.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising a memory for storing the sensor data based on the foot motion.

6. The system of claim 3, further comprising a driver for driving the foot motion sense module in response to a user'"'"'s foot motion sense request.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the user'"'"'s foot motion sense request is received from the portable equipment.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the user'"'"'s foot motion sense request is recognized and received by the foot motion sense module.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensing unit comprises:

a pressure sensor for sensing a pressure based on the foot motion, and outputting pressure sensor data corresponding to the sensed pressure;

an impact sensor for sensing an impact based on the foot motion, and outputting impact sensor data corresponding to the sensed impact;

a gyro sensor for sensing a foot motion direction, and outputting gyro sensor data corresponding to the sensed foot motion direction; and

an acceleration sensor for sensing a foot motion speed, and outputting acceleration sensor data corresponding to the sensed foot motion speed.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein the local area radio communication unit performs a local area radio communication with the portable equipment using one of an infrared communication means, a ZigBee™

communication means and a Bluetooth®

communication means.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable equipment comprises:

a local area radio communication unit for receiving the sensor data based on the foot motion, from the foot motion sense module;

a foot motion recognizing unit for recognizing the foot motion using the received sensor data based on the foot motion; and

a controller for performing the portable equipment function in response to the foot motion recognition result.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the local area radio communication unit performs a local area radio communication with the portable equipment using one of an infrared communication means, a ZigBee™

communication means and a Bluetooth®

communication means.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the foot motion recognizing unit previously stores a sensor critical value based on each foot motion, and recognizes execution of the foot motion when a sensor data value corresponds to the previously stored sensor critical value.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the foot motion recognizing unit recognizes a single foot motion.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the foot motion recognizing unit recognizes a plurality of foot motions.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein, when the foot motion is recognized, the controller performs a manipulation command or function depending on a previously stored portable equipment manipulation command and function information corresponding to the foot motion.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the portable equipment manipulation command and function information corresponding to the foot motion includes a tap dance function, a melody musical instrument playing function and a music player function.

18. A method for manipulating portable equipment using a foot motion, the method comprising steps of:

sensing a user'"'"'s foot motion, and collecting sensor data based on the user'"'"'s foot motion;

recognizing the foot motion using the sensor data based on the user'"'"'s foot motion; and

performing a portable equipment function depending on the foot motion recognition result.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a user'"'"'s foot motion sense request.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the user'"'"'s foot motion sense request is received from the portable equipment.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the user'"'"'s foot motion sense request is received by the foot motion sense module.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein sensing the user'"'"'s foot motion and collecting the sensor data based on the user'"'"'s foot motion further comprises:

sensing a pressure and an impact caused by the foot motion, a foot motion direction, and a foot motion speed; and

collecting pressure sensor data, impact sensor data, geomagnetic sensor data and acceleration sensor data based on the foot motion, as the sensed result.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein recognizing the foot motion using the sensor data based on the user'"'"'s foot motion further comprises:

determining whether a sensor data value based on the foot motion corresponds to a previously stored sensor critical value based on the foot motion; and

recognizing the foot motion when the sensor data value based on the foot motion corresponds to the previously stored sensor critical value based on the foot motion.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the foot motion is a single foot motion.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the foot motion is a plurality of foot motions.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein performing the portable equipment function depending on the foot motion recognition result further comprises performing one of a tap dance function, a melody musical instrument playing function and a music player function, in response to the foot motion recognition result.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein performing the tap dance function depending on the foot motion recognition result further comprises:

determining a strength and a length of a stomping motion; and

creating a tap dance music in response to the strength and the length of the stomping motion.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising outputting the created tap dance music.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising storing the created tap dance music.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein performing the melody musical instrument playing function in response to the foot motion recognition result further comprises:

determining a scale corresponding to a foot motion direction; and

creating a melody depending on the scale corresponding to the foot motion direction.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising outputting the created melody.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising storing the created melody.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein performing the music player function depending on the foot motion recognition result further comprises:

determining a music player control command corresponding to recognized foot motion direction and pressure; and

performing the music player function, in response to the music player control command corresponding to the foot motion direction and pressure.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the music player control command comprises FF (fast forward), REW (rewind), PLAY and STOP commands.