Touchless User Interface for a Mobile Device

• US 20080100572A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navisense
• Original Assignee: Navisense
• Inventors: Boillot, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 8,354,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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
• 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 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A sensory device (200) for providing a touchless user interface to a mobile device (100) is provided. The sensory device can include at least one appendage (210) having at least one sensor (220) that senses a finger (232) within a touchless sensing space (101), and a connector (230) for communicating sensory signals received by the at least one sensor to the mobile device. The sensory device can attach external to the mobile device. A controller (240) can trace a movement of the finger, recognize a pattern from the movement, and send the pattern to the mobile device. The controller can recognize finger gestures and send control commands associated with the finger gestures to the mobile device. A user can perform touchless acquire and select actions on or above a display or removable face plate to interact with the mobile device.

Claims

1. A sensory device suitable for use as a touchless user interface to a communication device, the sensory device comprising:

a first array of sensors on a first appendage and a second array of sensors on a second appendage structurally attached to the first appendage, wherein the first array and the second array produce a touchless sensory space that projects along a surface of the communication device and above the communication device;

a controller operatively coupled to the first array and the second array for interpreting sensory signals from the sensors, determining a finger location and movement in the touchless sensing space, and generating one or more command actions to control a user interface of the communication device according to the finger location and movement.

2. The sensory device of claim 1, comprising:

an interface connector operatively coupled to the controller for providing structural support for the first and second appendage, wherein the interface connector is attachable to the communication device,

wherein the sensory device is an external accessory to the communication device and attaches to the communication device via the interface connector.

3. The sensory device of claim 1, wherein the first appendage and the second appendage are integrated around a display of the communication device, and the controller selectively projects the sensing space along a surface of the communication device and also above the communication device.

4. The sensory device of claim 3, wherein the sensory device comprises a removable touch-panel with displayed user interface controls, suitable for attachment to the communication device, and the controller projects a sensing field onto a surface of the removable touch-panel in accordance with the displayed user interface controls such that a finger positioning or movement on a user interface control on the surface of the removable touch-panel corresponds to at least one command action to control the user interface of the communication device.

5. The sensory device of claim 3, wherein the controller recognizes finger gestures and sends control commands associated with the finger gestures to the communication device to control one or more user interface controls of the communication device.

6. The sensory device of claim 3, wherein the controller further comprises:

a processor for determining the location and movement of the finger; and

a memory for storing a history of the location and the movement, wherein the processor and memory receive power from the mobile device.

7. The sensory device of claim 2, wherein a first appendage is located along a first side of the mobile device and a second appendage is located along a second side of the mobile device, wherein the first appendage and the second appendage both connect to the interface connector.

8. The sensory device of claim 7, wherein the first appendage and the second appendage are positioned around a display of the mobile device, such that a user interacts with the mobile device over the display by moving a finger in the touchless sensing space.

9. The sensory device of claim 7, wherein the touchless sensing space is created by surface acoustic wave elements in the first appendage and the second appendage

10. The sensory device of claim 7, wherein the touchless sensing space is created by ultrasonic transmit and receive sensors in the at least one appendage.

11. The sensory device of claim 7, wherein the receive sensors are micro-electro mechanical (MEMS) microphones.

12. The sensory device of claim 1, wherein the sensory device detects a finger that is at least 1 cm or more away from the communication device.

13. A sensing system, comprising

a sensing device, comprising

a first array of sensors on a first appendage and a second array of sensors on a second appendage, wherein the first array and the second array produce a touchless sensory space that projects along a surface of a communication device and above the communication device;

a controller operatively coupled to the first array and the second array for interpreting sensory signals from the sensors, determining a finger location and movement in the touchless sensing space, and generating one or more command actions to control a user interface of the communication device according to the finger location and movement; and

a removable face plate with displayed user interface controls, suitable for attachment to the communication device, wherein the controller projects a sensing field onto a surface of the removable face plate in accordance with the displayed user interface controls such that a finger positioning or movement on a user interface control on the surface of the removable face plate corresponds to at least one command action to control the user interface of the communication device.

14. The sensing system of claim 13, wherein the removable face plate detachably snaps to the communication device.

15. The sensing system of claim 13, wherein the removable face plate includes displayed media controls for at least one among volume, equalization, song selection, stop, play, pause, fast forward, rewind, next, and forward.

16. The sensing system of claim 13, wherein the removable face plate includes an electronic element that identifies one or more different removable face plate.

17. The sensing system of claim 16, wherein the controller responsive to identifying a different removable face plate determines a layout of the displayed user interface controls associated with different removable face plate.

18. The sensing system of claim 16, wherein a different removable face plate corresponds to a graphical user interface on a display of the communication device presenting at least one among a media panel, an email panel, a voice mail panel, and an Internet panel.

19. A removable face plate with displayed user interface controls, suitable for attachment to a communication device, the removable face plate comprising:

an electronic element that identifies the removable face plate and a layout of user interface controls presented on the removable face plate, such that a sensing device, operatively coupled to the removable face plate and communication device, upon identifying the removable face plate projects a sensing field onto the removable face plate in accordance with the layout of user interface controls such that a finger positioning or movement on a user interface control of the removable face plate corresponds to at least one command action to control a user interface of the communication device.

20. The removable face plate of claim 19, wherein the communication device is at least one among a cell phone, media player, personal digital assistant, or laptop, and the sensing device provides sensory user interface controls for controlling the communication device in accordance with the user interface controls presented on the removable face plate.