INTERFACE APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTACT-FREE SPACE INPUT/OUTPUT

• US 20110310013A1
• Filed: 06/16/2011
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: PARK, Jun Seok, LEE, Jeun Woo, RYOO, Dong wan
• Application Number:
  US13/162,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20110310013A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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

Abstract

A space input/output interface apparatus includes: a proximity sensor for sensing a movement of a user'"'"'s wrist; an inertial sensor for sensing a movement of the user'"'"'s arm; and a controller for generating user input/output interface recognition information corresponding to a sensing value of the proximity sensor or the inertial sensor. The apparatus is an armband-type space input/output interface apparatus which can be put on the user'"'"'s wrist.

Claims

1. A space input/output interface apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a proximity sensor for sensing a movement of a user'"'"'s wrist;

an inertial sensor for sensing a movement of the user'"'"'s arm; and

a controller for generating input/output interface recognition information corresponding to a sensing value of the proximity sensor or the inertial sensor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is an armband-type space input/output interface apparatus which is put on the user'"'"'s wrist.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the proximity sensor is formed in a proximity sensor array including one or more proximity sensors mounted on the side of the armband-type space input/output interface apparatus along the shape of the armband to sense an up/down/left/right movement and a rotational movement of the user'"'"'s hand.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the proximity sensor array employs one of a capacitance scheme, an infrared scheme, an ultrasonic wave scheme, or an optical scheme.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the inertial sensor is mounted in the interior of the armband-type space input/output interface apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the inertial sensor includes one of a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a wrist movement determining unit for determining a sensing value of the proximity sensor as first input/output interface recognition information;

a coordinate calculation unit for calculating a sensing value of the inertial sensor as a coordinate value of second input/output interface recognition information; and

a haptic signal generation unit for providing feedback corresponding to first and second input/output interface recognition information under the control of the controller.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first input/output interface recognition information corresponds to a value obtained by sensing a movement of the user'"'"'s wrist.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second input/output interface recognition information corresponds to a value obtained by sensing a movement of the user'"'"'s arm.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a transmission unit for transmitting the first and second input/output interface information to an external terminal;

a data storage unit for storing information required for space input/output interface operation; and

a power supply unit for supplying power to drive the apparatus.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the external terminal includes a personal computer (PC).

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the input/output interface recognition information involves operation information of a PC-based input/output device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the PC-based input/output device includes a PC-based mouse.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the operation information of the PC-based input/output device includes information on one of operations such as up/down/left/right cursor movement, left/right clicking, dragging, operation start, up/down/left/right scrolling, enlargement/reduction, rotation, and window minimize/maximize/close of the mouse.

15. An interface method of a space input/output interface apparatus including a proximity sensor and an inertial sensor, the method comprising:

determining an input/output interface operation corresponding to a movement signal measured by the proximity sensor or the inertial sensor;

transmitting interface recognition information corresponding to the input/output interface operation to an external terminal; and

providing feedback corresponding to the input/output interface operation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the movement signal measured by the proximity sensor is obtained by sensing a movement of the user'"'"'s wrist.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the movement signal measured by the inertial sensor is obtained by sensing a movement of the user'"'"'s arm.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the movement of the user'"'"'s arm is an input/output interface operation corresponding to an up/down/left/right movement.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the feedback includes an operation of vibrating the space input/output interface apparatus.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the space input/output interface apparatus is an armband-type space input/output interface apparatus which is put on the user'"'"'s wrist.