User Gesture Input to Wearable Electronic Device Involving Outward-Facing Sensor of Device

• US 20140139422A1
• Filed: 08/30/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Mistry, Pranav, Snavely, John, Sadi, Sajid, Yao, Lining
• Granted Patent: US 9,477,313 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 3/002 Position, e.g. inclination dependent switches
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/04 Mounting of electronic components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

In one embodiment, a wearable apparatus includes a sensor, a processor coupled to the sensor, and a memory coupled to the processor that includes instructions executable by the processor. When executing the instructions, the processor detects by the sensor movement of at least a portion of an arm of a user; detects, based at least in part on the movement, a gesture made by the user; and processes the gesture as input to the wearable apparatus.

Claims

1. A wearable apparatus comprising:

a sensor;

a processor coupled to the sensor; and

memory coupled to the processor that comprises instructions executable by the processor, the processor being operable when executing the instructions to;

detect by the sensor movement of at least a portion of an arm of a user;

detect, based at least in part on the movement, a gesture made by the user; and

process the gesture as input to the wearable apparatus.

2. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wearable apparatus is worn on the other arm of the user.

3. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portion of the arm comprises at least a portion of the hand of that arm.

4. The wearable apparatus of claim 3, wherein the portion of the hand comprises at least one finger.

5. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable when executing the instructions to:

detect by the sensor a lack of movement of at least a portion of the arm of the user; and

detect the gesture based at least in part on the lack of movement of the portion of the arm of the user.

6. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable when executing the instructions to detect the gesture based at least in part on a duration of the movement.

7. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable when executing the instructions to:

detect by the sensor an absence of the portion of the arm of the user; and

detect the gesture based at least in part on the absence.

8. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable when executing the instructions to:

to detect an orientation of the portion of the arm of the user; and

detect the gesture based at least in part on the orientation.

9. The wearable apparatus of claim 8, wherein detecting an orientation of the portion of the arm of the user comprises:

detecting an initial orientation of the portion of the arm of the user; and

detecting a subsequent orientation of the portion of the arm of the user.

10. The wearable apparatus of claim 1:

further comprising another sensor;

wherein the processor is further operable when executing the instructions to;

detect by the other sensor a movement of the wearable apparatus; and

detect the gesture based at least in part on the movement of the wearable apparatus.

11. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to detect the gesture based at least in part on a setting specified by a software application associated with the wearable apparatus.

12. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the movement comprises a movement indicating an interaction with an object;

detecting a movement of at least some of the portion of the arm of the user comprises detecting the movement of the object; and

the processor is further operable to detect the gesture based at least in part on the movement of the object.

13. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

a device body comprising;

a touch-sensitive display;

a rotatable element about the touch-sensitive display; and

an encoder for detecting rotation of the rotatable element;

a band for affixing the device body to the user; and

the sensor, comprising an optical sensor in or on the band communicably coupled to the touch-sensitive display.

14. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

detect by a sensor a movement of at least some of the portion of an arm of a user;

detect, based at least in part on the movement, a gesture made by the user; and

process the gesture as input to a wearable computing device.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the wearable computing device is worn on the other arm of the user.

16. The media of claim 14, wherein the portion of the arm comprises at least a portion of the hand of that arm.

17. The media of claim 16, wherein the portion of the hand comprises at least one finger.

18. The media of claim 14, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

detect by the sensor a lack of movement of at least some of the portion of the arm of the user; and

detect the gesture based at least in part on the lack of movement of the portion of the arm of the user.

19. The media of claim 14, wherein the software is further operable when executed to detect the gesture based at least in part on a duration of the movement.

20. The media of claim 14, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

detect by an absence of the portion of the arm of the user; and

detect the gesture based at least in part on the absence.

21. The media of claim 14, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

detect an orientation of the portion of the arm of the user; and

detect the gesture based at least in part on the orientation.

22. The media of claim 21, wherein, to detect an orientation of the portion of the other arm of the user, the software is operable when executed to:

detect an initial orientation of the portion of the arm of the user; and

detect a subsequent orientation of the portion of the arm of the user.

23. The media of claim 14, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

detect by another sensor a movement of the wearable computing device; and

detect the gesture based at least in part on the movement of the wearable computing device.

24. The media of claim 14, wherein the software is further operable when executed to detect the gesture based at least in part on a setting specified by a software application associated with the wearable computing device.

25. The media of claim 14, wherein:

the movement comprises a movement indicating an interaction with an object;

detecting a movement of at least some of the portion of the arm of the user comprises detecting the movement of the object; and

the software is further operable when executed to detect the gesture based at least in part on the movement of the object.

26. The media of claim 14, wherein the wearable computing device comprises:

a device body comprising;

a touch-sensitive display;

a rotatable element about the touch-sensitive display; and

an encoder for detecting rotation of the rotatable element;

a band for affixing the device body to the user; and

an optical sensor in or on the band communicably coupled to the touch-sensitive display.

27. A method comprising:

detect by a sensor a movement of at least some of the portion of an arm of a user;

detect, by a wearable computing device, based at least in part on the movement, a gesture made by the user; and

process the gesture as input to the wearable computing device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the wearable computing device is worn on the other arm of the user.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the portion of the arm comprises at least a portion of the hand of that arm.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the portion of the hand comprises at least one finger.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising detecting by the sensor a lack of movement of at least some of the portion of the arm of the user, wherein the gesture is further determined based at least in part on the lack of movement of the portion of the arm of the user.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the gesture is further determined based at least in part on a duration of the movement.

33. The method of claim 27, further comprising detecting by the sensor an absence of the portion of the arm of the user, wherein the gesture is determined based at least in part on the absence.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising detecting an orientation of the portion of the arm of the user, wherein the gesture is further determined based at least in part on the orientation.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein detecting an orientation of the portion of the arm of the user comprises:

detecting an initial orientation of the portion of the arm of the user; and

detecting a subsequent orientation of the portion of the arm of the user.

36. The method of claim 27, further comprising detecting a movement of the wearable computing device, wherein the gesture is further determined based at least in part on the movement of the wearable computing device.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the gesture is further determined based at least in part on a setting specified by a software application associated with the wearable computing device.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein:

the movement comprises a movement indicating an interaction with an object;

detecting a movement of at least some of the portion of the arm of the user comprises detecting the movement of the object; and

the gesture is further determined based at least in part on the movement of the object.

39. The method of claim 27, wherein the wearable computing device comprises:

a device body comprising;

a touch-sensitive display;

a rotatable element about the touch-sensitive display; and

an encoder for detecting rotation of the rotatable element;

a band for affixing the wearable computing device body to the user; and

the sensor, comprising an optical sensor in or on the band communicably coupled to the touch-sensitive display.