User Interface Control of Responsive Devices

• US 20200042087A1
• Filed: 08/05/2018
• Published: 02/06/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pison Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pison Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Ang, Dexter W., Cipoletta, David O., Karnes, Samuel J., Kowalczyk, Michael P., Patel, Salil H., Trambert, Steven D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,802,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/005 initial alignment, calibration or starting-up of inertial devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/016 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
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Among other things, a user interface device has a sensor configured to detect, at a wrist of a human, nerve or other tissue electrical signals associated with an intended contraction of a muscle to cause a rapid motion of a finger. An output provides information representative of the nerve or other tissue electrical signals associated with the intended contraction of the muscle to an interpreter of the information.

Claims

3. (canceled)

17. An apparatus comprising

a user interface device having

a sensor configured to detect nerve or other tissue electrical signals associated with an intended contraction of a muscle to cause a motion of a part of a human and

an output coupled to a distribution system configured to distribute information representative of the nerve or other tissue electrical signals associated with the intended contraction of the muscle to two or more responsive devices not located on the human, the output configured to cause, in combination with one or more additional outputs associated with other user interface devices, actions corresponding to the intended contraction of the muscle, the actions being performed by the two or more responsive devices in parallel in response to the output of the user interface device and the outputs of the other user interface devices.

1. The apparatus of claim 17 comprising a feedback component configured to provide feedback to the human indicative of the action by at least one of the responsive devices and to guide the human to control the intended contraction of the muscle for further action of the two or more responsive devices.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the feedback component comprises a haptic element configured to provide haptic feedback to the human.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the feedback component is configured to receive feedback information from one or more of the responsive devices.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising at least one of the responsive devices and in which the responsive device includes the feedback component.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the responsive device comprises smart glasses.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which the feedback comprises a visible element displayed by the smart glasses.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the feedback comprises an element displayed by at least one of the responsive devices.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the feedback comprises a sound produced by one or more of the responsive devices.

10. The apparatus of claim 17 in which the distributed information comprises raw data representing the nerve or other tissue electrical signals, and

the output provides the distributed information to an interpreter external to the user interface device and configured to interpret the raw data to cause the actions by at least one of the responsive devices.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the output is coupled to the responsive device.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the output is coupled to a communication channel that is also coupled to the responsive device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the communication channel comprises a mesh network.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the output is coupled to an intermediary device that is also coupled to the responsive device.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the output is coupled to a socket.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the output is coupled to the distribution system to distribute the output to responsive devices located at distances from the user interface device greater than can be reached by short-range wireless communications.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 in which the output is coupled to the distribution system through a socket.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 in which the output is coupled to a mesh network.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 in which each of the two or more responsive devices comprises a node in the mesh network.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 in which at least one of the two or more responsive devices is configured to distribute the output to another responsive device.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 in which at least one of the two or more responsive devices is configured to issue a command to another responsive device in response to the output of the user interface device.

24. The apparatus of claim 17 in which each of the one or more additional outputs is associated with a different user interface device.

25. The apparatus of claim 17 in which at least two of the user interface devices comprise wrist-worn devices.

23. (canceled)