EQUIPMENT AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION TERMINAL

• US 20110169652A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Novak, Yaroslav
• Granted Patent: US 8,564,451 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/686.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3855 carried in a belt or harness

Abstract

A sensor pad (105) is adapted to be worn and operated by a user (100) to control a separate wireless communication terminal (103) carried by the user. The sensor pad includes a plurality of discrete sensors each operable to produce an indication signal indicating proximity of a user'"'"'s finger to the sensor and a controller, responsive to receipt of indication signals from a plurality of the sensors, to produce a control signal for delivery to the wireless communication terminal to produce selection of a functional operation of the wireless communication terminal. Also described is a terminal for use with the sensor pad and also equipment and a method of operation.

Claims

1. A sensor pad adapted to be worn by a user and adapted to be operated by a user to control a separate wireless communication terminal carried by the user, the sensor pad including a plurality of discrete sensors each operable to produce an indication signal indicating proximity of a user'"'"'s finger to the sensor and a controller, responsive to receipt of indication signals from a plurality of the sensors, to produce a control signal to control a function of the wireless communication terminal.

2. A sensor pad according to claim 1 including a flexible substrate holding the sensors and the controller.

3. A sensor pad according to claim 2 wherein the flexible substrate is made of a woven fabric material.

4. A sensor pad according to claim 2 wherein the sensors are incorporated in the substrate and are operable to detect proximity of a user'"'"'s fingers when adjacent to a first face of the substrate and the controller is held on a second face of the substrate.

5. A sensor pad according to claim 1 wherein the controller is operable to detect when a selected plurality of the sensors have produced an indication signal and to produce a control signal in response to the detection.

6. A sensor pad according to claim 5 wherein the controller is operable to produce different control signals when different selected pluralities of the sensors produce an indication signal.

7. A sensor pad according to claim 1 wherein the controller is operable to detect when each of a selected plurality of the sensors have produced an indication signal in sequence and to produce a control signal in response to the detection.

8. A sensor pad according to claim 1 wherein each of the sensors is selected from the following:

(i) an electro-mechanical actuator which operates by being pressed by a user'"'"'s finger;

(ii) a device which produces a change in an electrical property of a pressure sensitive material when pressed by a user'"'"'s finger;

(iii) a device which produces a change in an electrical property when it senses touch of a user'"'"'s finger; and

(iv) a device which detects the presence of a complementary device carried by a user'"'"'s finger.

9. A sensor pad according to claim 8 wherein each of the sensors is a device which detects the presence of a complementary device carried by a user'"'"'s finger and the sensor and the complementary device is selected from:

(a) a radiation source and a corresponding radiation detector; and

(b) a device producing a magnetic field and a detector which is operable to detect the magnetic field.

10. A sensor pad according to claim 9 wherein each of the sensors comprises a Hall effect detector which is operable to detect a magnetic field produced by a corresponding magnet held by the user.

11. Equipment for controlling a wireless communication terminal including a sensor pad according to claim 1 and at least one complementary device to be worn by a user to cause at least one the sensors of the sensor pad to detect proximity of the user'"'"'s finger by detecting the complementary device.

12. Equipment according to claim 11 wherein the complementary device comprises a magnet and at least one of the sensors comprises a Hall effect detector.

13. Equipment according to claim 11 including at least one glove to be worn by a user having the at least one complementary device on an outer surface of at least one finger compartment of the at least one glove.

14. A wireless communication terminal for use in conjunction with equipment according to claim 11, the terminal including a memory holding a table of functional operations of the wireless communication terminal corresponding to different control signals received from the sensor pad each signal indicating a plurality or sequence of sensors of the sensor pad that have been activated, and, operably coupled to the memory, a controller operable to receive control signals from the sensor pad, to interpret each of the control signals received and to execute a corresponding functional operation of the terminal.

15. Equipment including a wireless communication terminal according to claim 14.

16. Equipment according to claim 15 including a jacket to be worn by a user, wherein the sensor pad and the terminal are attached to or carried by the jacket.

17. A method of operation in the equipment according to claim 15 including detecting activation of a plurality or sequence of the sensors of the sensor pad by a controller of the sensor pad, producing in response a control signal by the controller indicating a particular plurality or sequence of sensors that have been activated, sending the control signal to the wireless communication terminal, receiving the control signal from the sensor pad in a controller of the wireless communication terminal, interpreting the control signal received by the controller of the wireless communication terminal and in response executing by the controller of the wireless communication terminal a corresponding functional operation of the terminal.