Gestures for Interactive Textiles

• US 20160283101A1
• Filed: 12/04/2015
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilbert, Joao Henrique Santos, Schwesig, Carsten, Poupyrev, Ivan
• Application Number:
  US14/959,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20160283101A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 31/00 Materials specially adapted for outerwear
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 1/0088 Fabrics having an electronic function
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/16 antistatic; conductive
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/18 including electronic components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

This document describes gestures for interactive textiles. A gesture manager is implemented at a computing device that is wirelessly coupled to the interactive textile. The gesture manager enables the user to create gestures and assign the gestures to various functionalities of the computing device to enable the user to initiate a functionality, at a subsequent time, by inputting a gesture assigned to the functionality into the interactive textile. The gesture manager may be configured to select a functionality based on both a gesture to the interactive textile and a context of the computing device. In one or more implementations, the interactive textile is coupled to one or more output devices (e.g., a light source, a speaker, or a display) that is integrated within the flexible object. The output device can be controlled to provide notifications and/or feedback to the user based on the user'"'"'s interactions with the interactive textile.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, implement a gesture manager, the gesture manager configured to;

determine a context associated with the computing device or a user of the computing device;

receive touch data from an interactive textile woven into a clothing item worn by the user;

analyze the touch data to identify a gesture; and

initiate a functionality of the computing device based on the gesture and the context.

2. The computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the context is determined based at least in part on an application that is currently running on the computing device.

3. The computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the context is determined based at least in part on sensor data received from one or more sensors implemented at the computing device or at the interactive textile.

4. The computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the gesture manager is configured to initiate a first functionality assigned to the gesture if a first context is determined, and initiate a second, different, functionality assigned to the gesture if a second, different, context is determined.

5. The computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the gesture manager is configured to analyze the touch data to identify a touch, tap, swipe, hold, or stroke gesture.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, touch data from an interactive textile woven into an item of clothing, the computing device wirelessly coupled to the interactive textile;

analyzing the touch data to identify a gesture;

receiving user input to the computing device to assign the gesture to a functionality of the computing device; and

assigning the gesture to the functionality of the computing device.

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, further comprising displaying a visual representation of the gesture on a display of the computing device in response to identifying the gesture.

8. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein the assigning enables the functionality of the computing device to be initiated, at a subsequent time, by inputting the gesture to the interactive textile woven into the item of clothing

9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, at a subsequent time, additional touch data from the interactive textile;

analyzing the additional touch data to identify the gesture; and

initiating the functionality.

10. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein the receiving user input to assign the gesture to the functionality of the computing device comprises receiving a selection of the functionality from a list of functionalities displayed on a display of the computing device.

11. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein the assigning the gesture causes a mapping between the gesture and the functionality of the computing device to be stored with one or more other mappings in a gesture library.

12. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein the gesture comprises one or more gesture strokes corresponding to a symbol, shape, letter, or number.

13. An interactive textile configured to be integrated within a flexible object, the interactive textile comprising:

a grid of conductive thread woven into the interactive textile to form a capacitive touch sensor;

at output device configured to provide audio or visual output; and

a textile controller coupled to the capacitive touch sensor and the output device, the textile controller configured to;

detect touch-input to the capacitive touch sensor when an object touches the capacitive touch sensor;

process the touch-input to provide touch data usable to control a computing device or an application at the computing device; and

control the output device to provide feedback for the touch-input.

14. The interactive textile as recited in claim 13, wherein the textile controller is further configured to control the output device to provide one or more notifications based on control signals received from the computing device.

15. The interactive textile as recited in claim 13, wherein the output device comprises a light source configured to output light.

16. The interactive textile as recited in claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of a color or a frequency of the light output from the light source to provide the feedback for the touch-input.

17. The interactive textile as recited in claim 13, wherein the output device comprises a display.

18. The interactive textile as recited in claim 13, wherein the flexible object comprises a shirt, jacket, sweater, or sweatshirt.

19. The interactive textile as recited in claim 18, wherein the capacitive touch sensor and the output device are positioned on a sleeve of the shirt, the jacket, the sweater, or the sweatshirt.

20. The interactive textile as recited in claim 13, further comprising a network interface configured to communicate the touch data over a network to a gesture manager implemented at the computing device to enable the gesture manager to control the computing device or the application at the computing device based on the touch data.