Method and Device for a Touchless Interface

• US 20080048878A1
• Filed: 08/23/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navisense
• Original Assignee: Navisense
• Inventors: Boillot, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 7,978,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/686.1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/02 Manually-operated control H03G3/001 and H03G3/002 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/94052 with evaluation of actuation pattern or sequence, e.g. tapping
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/502 using analog signal processing

Abstract

A method (400) and device (100) for touchless control of an headset or earpiece is provided. The device can include a sensing unit (202) for determining (402) a presence of a finger within a proximity of the earpiece, tracking (404) a touchless movement of the finger in air within the proximity, selecting (410) the control in accordance with a movement of the finger, and adjusting (414) the control in accordance with the tracking. A circular movement of the finger can be tracked for scrolling through a list. Menu options in the list can be audibly played during the scrolling.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile device, comprising:

determining a presence of at least one finger within a proximity of the device;

tracking a touchless movement of the at least one finger in air within the proximity;

adjusting at least one touchless control in accordance with the touchless movement.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a location of the at least one finger; and

audibly presenting a touchless control when a touchless movement or the location of the at least one finger corresponds to a touchless control.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the touchless control in accordance with a movement of the finger,

wherein an up and down movement of the at least one finger enters a selection of the touchless control.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking a movement includes:

identifying an approximately circular motion of the at least one finger; and

adjusting a touchless control in accordance with the approximately circular motion,

wherein a clockwise motion relative to the at least one finger increases the touchless control, and a counter-clockwise motion relative to the at least one finger decreases the touchless control.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

scrolling through a list in accordance with the approximately circular motion;

audibly presenting at least one entry in the list during the approximately circular motion;

identifying a movement of the at least one finger during the approximately circular motion; and

associating the at least one entry identified during the movement with a touchless control,

wherein the movement is at least one of a pause, an up and down motion, or a forward projecting motion.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying a movement includes:

identifying a forward projecting motion of the at least one finger for selecting the at least one entry, identifying an up and down motion of the at least one finger for selecting the at least one entry, or identifying a pause of the at least one finger for selecting the at least one entry.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the audibly presenting is based on at least one of an absolute location of the at least one finger, a relative location of the at least one finger, or a pause at a location of the finger.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein an entry includes at least one of a song selection, a track selection, a volume selection, a balance selection, an equalization selection, a contact selection, a call selection, an email selection, a voicemail selection, or an audio message.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein a control is a handle to an email account, such that a user moves a finger in air in an approximately circular motion and scrolls through email, a field of an email is audibly played during the approximately circular motion, and a portion of content of the email is audibly played upon a selection of the email.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

speeding up the scrolling by increasing an approximately circular movement of the finger; and

slowing down the scrolling by decreasing the approximately circular movement of the finger.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

fast-forwarding a playing of an audio message in response to an increase of an approximately circular and clockwise movement of the finger; and

rewinding the playing of the audio message in response to an increase of an approximately circular and counter-clockwise movement of the finger.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a touching of the device for activating at least one touchless control; and

adjusting the at least one control in accordance with the movement of the at least one finger in the air.

13. An earpiece comprising:

a touchless sensing unit having at least two sensory elements for

determining a location of a finger within a proximity of the earpiece,

tracking a movement of the finger in air within the proximity,

adjusting at least one earpiece control in accordance with the movement.

14. The earpiece of claim 13, wherein the touchless sensing unit

identifies an approximately circular motion of the finger;

and

adjusts a control in accordance with the approximately circular motion, wherein a clockwise motion relative to the finger increases the control, and a counter-clockwise motion relative to the finger decreases the control.

15. The earpiece of claim 13, further comprising an audio module for audibly presenting a control, wherein a user scrolls through a list in accordance with the approximately circular motion, the audio module presents at least one entry in the list during the approximately circular motion, and the touchless sensing unit identifies a movement of the finger during the approximately circular motion, and associates the movement with the at least one entry of the control.

16. The earpiece of claim 15, wherein the touchless sensing unit identifies a forward projecting motion of the at least one finger for selecting the at least one entry, identifies an up and down motion of the at least one finger for selecting the at least one entry, or identifies a pause of the at least one finger for selecting the at least one entry.

17. The earpiece of claim 13, wherein the earpiece is at least one of an ear bud, a Bluetooth earpiece, a Bluetooth headset, a behind the ear device, an in-the-canal earpiece, a hearing aid, a ZigBee earpiece, a ZigBee headset, or an in-the-ear cell phone.

18. The earpiece of claim 13, wherein the sensors are ultrasonic sensors or light emitting elements.

19. A touchless device suitable for use with an earpiece, comprising:

a touchless sensing unit having at least two sensory elements for

determining a location of a finger within a proximity of the earpiece,

tracking a movement of the finger in air within the proximity,

adjusting at least one control in accordance with the location and movement, and

an audio module for audibly presenting at least one entry of the control, wherein the touchless sensing unit allows a user to navigate through a menu list that is audibly played when the location of the finger or the movement of the finger corresponds to the at least one entry.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the audio module speeds up the playback of the email when an approximately circular and clockwise movement of the finger is detected, and slows down the playback of the email when an approximately circular and counter-clockwise movement of the finger is detected