METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING CONTROL INFORMATION BY A WEARABLE DEVICE TO CONTROL MOBILE AND CONSUMER ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20110018731A1
• Filed: 03/12/2010
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Michaelis, Oliver, Jaime, Manuel Eduardo, Linsky, Joel Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 9,000,887 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A method for communicating control information by a wearable device is disclosed. The method includes determining a first movement according to a first degree of freedom as being gesture-related and a second movement according to a second degree of freedom as being gesture-related; generating a first set of possibly performed gestures based on the first movement; generating a second set of possibly performed gestures based on the second movement; inferring, from the first and second sets, whether the first movement is representative of an intended command; and transmitting information based on the inference. An apparatus for performing the method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for communicating control information by a wearable device comprising:

determining a first movement according to a first degree of freedom as being gesture-related and a second movement according to a second degree of freedom as being gesture-related;

generating a first set of possibly performed gestures based on the first movement;

generating a second set of possibly performed gestures based on the second movement;

inferring, from the first and second sets, whether the first movement is representative of an intended command; and

transmitting information based on the inference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination comprises:

detecting the first and second movements; and

interpreting the first and second movements as being gesture-related.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of possibly performed gestures is a subset of all gestures.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second movements according to the first and second degrees of freedom, respectively, are related to a single device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second movements according to the first and second degrees of freedom, respectively, are related to a first device and a second device, respectively.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the second set of possibly performed gestures comprises determining the second movement according to the second degree of freedom as being gesture-related.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second sets of possibly performed gestures comprises a combination of performable gestures that is relevant in a current application context.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing user feedback, upon inferring that the first movement is representative of the intended command, using at least one of a tactile feedback, a visual feedback, or an audible feedback.

9. An apparatus for communicating control information by a wearable device, comprising:

means for determining a first movement according to a first degree of freedom as being gesture-related, wherein the determined movement is used to create a first set of possibly performed gestures;

means for determining a second movement according to a second degree of freedom as being gesture-related, wherein the second determined movement is used to create a second set of possibly performed gestures;

means for inferring, from the first and second sets, whether the first movement is representative of an intended command; and

means for transmitting information based on the inference.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the determination comprises:

means for detecting the first and second movements; and

means for interpreting the first and second movements as being gesture-related.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first set of possibly performed gestures is a subset of all gestures.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first and second movements according to the first and second degrees of freedom, respectively, are related to a single device.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first and second movements according to the first and second degrees of freedom, respectively, are related to a first device and a second device, respectively.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for determining the second set of possibly performed gestures comprises means for determining the second movement according to the second degree of freedom as being gesture-related.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first and second sets of possibly performed gestures each comprises a combination of performable gestures that is relevant in a current application context.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for providing user feedback, upon inferring that the first movement is representative of the intended command, using at least one of a tactile feedback, a visual feedback, or an audible feedback.

17. An apparatus for communicating control information by a wearable device, comprising:

a processing system configured to;

determine a first movement according to a first degree of freedom as being gesture-related, wherein the determined movement is used to create a first set of possibly performed gestures;

determine a second movement according to a second degree of freedom as being gesture-related, wherein the second determined movement is used to create a second set of possibly performed gestures; and

infer, from the first and second sets, whether the first movement is representative of an intended command; and

a transmitter configured to transmit information based on the inference.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

sensors configured to detect the first and second movements, wherein the processing system is further configured to interpret the first and second movements as being gesture-related.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first set of possibly performed gestures is a subset of all gestures.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first and second movements according to the first and second degrees of freedom, respectively, are related to a single device.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first and second movements according to the first and second degrees of freedom, respectively, are related to a first device and a second device, respectively.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing system is further configured to determine the second movement according to the second degree of freedom as being gesture-related.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first and second sets of possibly performed gestures each comprises a combination of performable gestures that is relevant in a current application context.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing system is further configured to provide user feedback, upon inferring that the first movement is representative of the intended command, using at least one of a tactile feedback, a visual feedback, or an audible feedback.

25. A wearable device, comprising:

at least one antenna;

a processing system configured to;

determine a first movement according to a first degree of freedom as being gesture-related, wherein the determined movement is used to create a first set of possibly performed gestures;

determine a second movement according to a second degree of freedom as being gesture-related, wherein the second determined movement is used to create a second set of possibly performed gestures; and

infer, from the first and second sets, whether the first movement is representative of an intended command; and

a transmitter coupled to the processing system and the at least one antenna, and configured to transmit information, via the at least one antenna, based on the inference.

26. A computer-program product for communicating control information by a wearable device, comprising a computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable to:

determine a first movement according to a first degree of freedom as being gesture-related, wherein the determined movement is used to create a first set of possibly performed gestures;

determine a second movement according to a second degree of freedom as being gesture-related, wherein the second determined movement is used to create a second set of possibly performed gestures;

infer, from the first and second sets, whether the first movement is representative of an intended command; and

transmit information based on the inference.