Spatial motion pattern input system and input method

• US 5,598,187 A
• Filed: 05/13/1994
• Issued: 01/28/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ide, Yuji, Morohoshi, Toshihiro, Takashima, Kazuhiro, Fukumoto, Tomiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOW, DOON Y
• Application Number:
  US08/242,429
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/161, 345/163, 345/165, 345/167, 345/168, 345/145, 345/179, 178/18, 178/19, 359/142, 359/146, 348/734
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device

Abstract

A spatial motion pattern input system for causing a control target device to perform control according to a spatial motion pattern of a spatial control input device, comprises a move sensing section for sensing at least the amount of movements of the spatial control input device on two axes among the amount of movements of the device on three specific nonparallel axes in space, a conversion section for converting the amount of spatial movements composed of at least two amounts sensed at the move sensing section into a motion vector sequence, an identification section for performing identification by comparing a motion vector sequence corresponding to a basic motion pattern previously entered with the motion vector sequence, and an execution section for controlling the control target device on the basis of the recognition result from the identification section.

Claims

1. A spatial motion pattern input system for causing a control target device to perform control according to a spatial motion pattern of a spatial control input device, comprising:

move sensing means for sensing at least an amount of movement of the spatial control input device on two axes from the amount of movement of the device on three specific nonparallel axes in space, by means of an element built in the spatial control input device which operates in response to a change in velocity of the spatial control input device;

conversion means for converting said amount of movement of the spatial control input device on two axes into a first arbitrary direction motion vector sequence;

identification means for performing identification by comparing a second arbitrary direction motion vector sequence, corresponding to a basic motion pattern which was previously entered, with said first arbitrary direction motion vector sequence; and

execution means for controlling said control target device based on a recognition result from said identification means.

2. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 1, wherein said identification means contains:

unit vector processing means for generating a first unit vector function an the basis of the first motion vector sequence obtained from the amount of movement of the spatial control input device;

addition vector processing means for generating a first cumulative vector function on the basis of the first motion vector sequence obtained from the amount of movement of the spatial control input device; and

identification means for comparing the first generated unit vector function with a second unit vector function obtained from the second motion vector sequence corresponding to the basic motion pattern, and also comparing the first generated cumulative vector function with a cumulative vector function obtained from the second motion vector sequence corresponding to the basic motion pattern, and then on the basis of these comparison results, identifying the spatial motion pattern of the spatial control input device.

3. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 1, wherein said identification means contains:

unit vector processing means for generating a first unit vector function on the basis of the first motion vector sequence obtained from the amount of movement of the spatial control input device; and

identification means for comparing the first generated unit vector function with a second unit vector function obtained from the second motion vector sequence corresponding to the basic motion pattern, and then on the basis of the comparison result, identifying the spatial motion pattern of the spatial control input device.

4. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 1, wherein said identification means contains:

addition vector processing means for generating a first cumulative vector function on the basis of the first motion vector sequence obtained from the amount of movement of the spatial control input device; and

identification means for comparing the first generated cumulative vector function with a second cumulative vector function obtained from the second motion vector sequence corresponding to the basic motion pattern, and then on the basis of the comparison result, identifying the spatial motion pattern of the spatial control input device.

5. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 1, wherein said conversion means contains a conversion table in which the number of unit vectors and angles are entered for the amount of spatial movements, and obtains the result of converting said amount of spatial movements into the first motion vector sequence by giving the values obtained by sampling in time said amount of spatial movement composed of at least two amounts sensed at said move sensing means, to the conversion table one after another as specified values.

6. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 1, wherein:

said move sensing means further contains rotation amount sensing means for sensing the amount of rotation on an axis perpendicular to each pair of two axes on which the amount of movements of said spatial control input device is sensed; and

said conversion means further contains correction means for extracting the amount of movement obtained by subtracting said amount of rotation on the axis from the relevant amount of movements on two axes of said spatial control input device sensed at said move sensing means, on the basis of the sense result at the rotation amount sensing means.

7. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 1, wherein:

said control target device contains the display screen; and

said execution means displays the shape of the spatial motion pattern recognized by said identification means.

8. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 1, wherein:

said move sensing means is installed in the spatial control input device;

said conversion means, said identification means, and said execution means are installed in the control target device;

the spatial control input device is provided with transmission means for transmitting the output signal of said move sensing means; and

said control target device is provided with reception means for receiving the signal transmitted from said transmission means and transferring it to said conversion means.

9. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 1, wherein:

said move sensing means, said conversion means, and said identification means are installed in the spatial control input device;

said execution means is installed in the control target device;

the spatial control input device is provided with transmission means for transmitting the output signal of said identification means; and

said control target device is provided with reception means for receiving the signal transmitted from said transmission means and transferring it to said execution means.

10. A spatial control input device for sensing spatial motion patterns to cause a control target device to perform control according to a spatial motion pattern drawn by an operator, comprising:

move sensing means for sensing at least an amount of movements of the spatial control input device on two axes from an amount of movements of the spatial control input device on three specific nonparallel axes in space, by means of an element built in the spatial control input device which operates in response to a change in velocity of the spatial control input device;

conversion means for converting said amount of spatial movement of the spatial control input device on two axes into a first arbitrary direction motion vector sequence;

identification means for performing identification by comparing a second arbitrary direction motion vector sequence, corresponding to a basic motion pattern which was previously entered, with said first arbitrary direction motion vector sequence; and

transmission means for transmitting a recognition result from said identification means to the control target device.

11. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 10, wherein said identification means contains:

unit vector processing means for generating a first unit vector function on the basis of the first motion vector sequence obtained from the amount of movement of the spatial control input device;

addition vector processing means for generating a first cumulative vector function on the basis of the first motion vector sequence obtained from the amount of movement of the spatial control input device; and

identification means for comparing the first generated unit vector function with a second unit vector function obtained from a motion vector sequence corresponding to the basic motion pattern, and also comparing the first generated cumulative vector function with a second cumulative vector function obtained from the second motion vector sequence corresponding to the basic motion pattern, and then on the basis of these comparison results, identifying the spatial motion pattern of the spatial control input device.

12. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 10, wherein said identification means contains:

unit vector processing means for generating a first unit vector function on the basis of the first motion vector sequence obtained from the amount of movement of the spatial control input device; and

identification means for comparing the first generated unit vector function with a second unit vector function obtained from the second motion vector sequence corresponding to the basic motion pattern, and then on the basis of the comparison result, identifying the spatial motion pattern of the spatial control input device.

13. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 10, wherein said identification means contains:

addition vector processing means for generating a first cumulative vector function on the basis of the first motion vector sequence obtained from the amount of movement of the spatial control input device; and

identification means for comparing the first generated cumulative vector function with a second cumulative vector function obtained from the second motion vector sequence corresponding to the basic motion pattern, and then on the basis of the comparison result, identifying the spatial motion pattern of the spatial control input device.

14. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 10, wherein said conversion means contains a conversion table in which the number of unit vectors and angles are entered for the amount of spatial movements, and obtains the result of converting said amount of spatial movements into the first motion vector sequence by giving the values obtained by sampling in time said amount of spatial movement composed of at least two amounts sensed at said move sensing means, to the conversion table one after another as specified values.

15. The spatial motion pattern input system according to claim 10, wherein:

said move sensing means further contains rotation amount sensing means for sensing the amount of rotation on an axis perpendicular to each pair of two axes on which the amount of movements of said spatial control input device is sensed; and

said conversion means further contains correction means for extracting the amount of movement obtained by subtracting said amount of rotation on the axis from the relevant amount of movements on two axes of said spatial control input device sensed at said move sensing means, on the basis of the sense result at the rotation amount sensing means.

16. A spatial motion pattern input method for causing a control target device to perform control according to spatial motion patterns of a spatial control input device, the method comprising the steps of:

sensing at least an amount of movement of the spatial control input device on two axes from an amount of movement of the spatial control input device on three specific nonparallel axes in space, by means of an element built in the spatial control input device which operates in response to a change in velocity of the spatial control input device;

converting said amount of movement of the spatial control input device on two axes, sensed at said move sensing means, into a first arbitrary direction motion vector sequence;

comparing a second arbitrary direction motion vector sequence, corresponding to a basic motion pattern previously entered, with said first arbitrary direction motion vector sequence; and

controlling said control target device based on a result of said comparing step.

17. The spatial motion pattern input method according to claim 16, wherein said comparing step comprises:

generating at least one of a first unit vector function based on the first motion vector sequence obtained from the amount of movement of the spatial control input device and a first cumulative vector function based on the first motion vector sequence obtained from the amount of movement of the spatial control input device;

comparing at least one of the first generated unit vector function and the first generated cumulative vector function with the second motion vector sequence corresponding to the basic motion pattern; and

identifying the spatial motion pattern of the spatial control input device based on a result of the comparing step.

18. The spatial motion pattern input method according to claim 16, wherein said converting step comprises:

converting said amount of spatial movement into the first motion vector sequence by giving the values, obtained by sampling in time said amount of spatial movement composed of at least two amounts sensed at said sensing step, to a conversion table in which unit vectors and angles are entered for the amount of spatial movement one after another as specified values.

19. The spatial motion pattern input method according to claim 16, wherein:

said sensing step further comprises sensing the amount of rotation on an axis perpendicular to each pair of two axes on which the amount of movements of said spatial control input device is sensed; and

said converting step further comprises extracting the amount of movement obtained by subtracting said amount of rotation on the axis from the relevant amount of movements on two axes of said spatial control input device sensed at said sensing step, on the basis of the step of sensing the amount of rotation.

20. The spatial motion pattern input method according to claim 16, wherein:

said controlling step displays the shape of the spatial motion pattern recognized at said comprising step.