Bioacoustic control system, method and apparatus

• US 7,148,879 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2001
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hill, William Colyer, Terveen, Loren Gilbert, Amento, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shapiro, Leonid
• Application Number:
  US09/898,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20020009972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 345/158, 345/160, 345/162
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• 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 3/0346 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: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/00 Transmission systems characterised by the medium used for transmission, not provided for in groups H04B3/00 - H04B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body

Abstract

Bioacoustic sensors and wireless technologies are used for the control of electronic devices, such as a wireless telephones, pagers, music/media players or personal, laptops and personal digital assistant devices (PDA). Such control is implemented with certain systems, methods and apparatus which include bioacoustic sensors, a processor coupled to the bioacoustic sensors, and a transmitter coupled to the processor. The present invention is operative to detect particular hand and/or finger gestures, and to transmit control signals corresponding to the gestures for operative control of an electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an electronic device comprising:

receiving one or more bioacoustic signals conducted by finger bones to one or more piezo-electric contact materials (microphones) at a wrist location, each signal related to one or more hand gestures including finger movements;

determining the identity of the one or more hand gestures based on a positive correlation between the received signals and predetermined hand gesture data; and

selectively issuing one or more commands associated with the identified hand gesture for activating one or more functions of the electronic device and wherein the one or more hand gestures includes a first gesture which reflects contact between a thumb and an index finger of a human hand, a second gesture which reflects contact between the thumb and a middle finger of the human hand, a third gesture which reflects contact between the thumb and a ring finger of the human hand, a fourth gesture which reflects contact between a finger and a fingernail, a fifth gesture which reflects non-contact between one or more fingers, a sixth gesture which reflects contact based on a displacement threshold and seventh gesture which reflects contact based on a pressure threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising activating a wireless transmitter to transmit the command.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

amplifying the bone-conducted sound based signals; and

digitizing the bone-conducted sound based signals.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the command with a wireless transmitter.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

encrypting the one or more commands associated with the detected hand gesture which includes finger movements.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decrypting the one or more commands associated with the detected hand gesture which includes finger movements into one or more electronic device commands.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the one or more commands with a wireless transmitter.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

narrow casting the one or more commands with a wireless transmitter to the electronic device.

9. A wrist adaptable wireless apparatus for invoking functions of a portable wireless device, comprising:

a processor coupled to at least one piezo-electric contact microphone which receives acoustic sensor signal data;

a storage facility for storing a plurality of gesture patterns which include finger movements, wherein the processor is operative to compare acoustic sensor signal data with the plurality of gesture patterns including the finger movements conducted by finger bones to one or more piezo-electric contact materials (microphones) at a wrist location, to detect a substantial match between the acoustic sensor signal data and one of the plurality of gesture patterns with finger movements, and to select one of a plurality of user input commands associated with the match, wherein the plurality of user input commands correspond to a plurality of functions of the portable wireless device; and

a wireless transmitter coupled to said processor and operative to wirelessly transmit the user input command to the portable wireless device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a portable power supply.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus senses bone-conducted sound of a human hand and bone conducted sound of human fingers of the hand as the acoustic sensor signal data.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is configured as a wristwatch.

13. A wireless control system comprising:

a bioacoustic sensor component;

a digital processor coupled to the sensor component;

a storage component for storing gesture pattern data which includes finger movement data indicative of a plurality of gestures which include finger movements conducted by finger bones to one or more piezo-electric contact materials (microphones) at a wrist location each gesture corresponding to a unique one of a plurality of electronic device commands wherein the processor is operative to compare acoustic sensor signals with the gesture pattern data which includes finger movement data and to select one of the electronic device commands corresponding to a gesture or finger movement that correlates with the acoustic sensor signals; and

a wireless transmitter and antenna coupled to the processor and operative to transmit the electronic device command.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the transmitter is embedded in a ring structure.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

an audio component for providing user feedback when a hand gesture which includes finger movements is sensed.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the system is operative for receiving information from a plurality of external information sources.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor, storage component and wireless transmitter and antenna are remotely located away from bioacoustic sensor component.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the band is comprised in part of piezo-electric material.

19. A method comprising:

training a user in one or more hand gestures which includes finger movements so that the one or more hand gestures including finger movements corresponds to one or more device commands;

receiving one or more bioacoustic signals conducted by finger bones to one or more piezo-electric contact materials (microphones) at a wrist location, each signal related to the one or more hand gestures including finger movements;

determining the identity of the one or more hand gestures including finger movements based on a positive correlation between the received signals and predetermined hand gesture data which includes finger movement data; and

transmitting one or more commands associated with the identified hand gesture which includes finger movement for activating one or more functions of the electronic device.