Apparatus for remotely controlling another apparatus and having self-orientating capability

• US 9,152,236 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2014
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kryze, David, Syed, Zia, Rigazio, Luca, Yun, Tiffany
• Primary Examiner(s): SPAR, ILANA L
• Application Number:
  US14/341,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20140333562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/163, 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• 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: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An apparatus for communicating with a target device includes: a sensing portion for sensing points of user contact with the apparatus and user gestures; a transmitting device for sending signals representative of user commands to the target device; a controller; and a memory including instructions for configuring the controller to perform a self-orientation process to determine a forward direction of a plane of operation for defining the user gestures.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communicating with a target device comprising:

a sensing portion for sensing points of user contact with the apparatus, user gestures, and one of an acceleration value or an orientation value of the apparatus;

a transmitting device for sending signals representative of user commands to the target device;

a controller;

a memory including instructions for configuring the controller to;

perform a self-orientation process based upon at least one of the acceleration value, the orientation value and the points of user contact to determine a forward direction of a plane of operation for defining the user gestures, wherein an axis of the determined plane of operation can substantially intersect the apparatus at all angles;

determine if the user gesture is an absolute-type gesture or a relative-type gesture;

determine a direction of the absolute-type gesture if the user gesture is the absolute-type gesture; and

interpret the absolute-type gesture and relative-type gesture as user commands, wherein the relative-type gesture includes rotation of the apparatus.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a gyroscope measures angular rotation associated with the apparatus to produce the orientation value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the axis of the determined plane of operation can substantially intersect the apparatus at four different angles perpendicular to each other.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the four different angles are 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees.

2. An apparatus comprising:

a sensing portion for sensing points of user contact with the apparatus and one of an acceleration value and an orientation value of the apparatus;

a controller; and

a memory including instructions for configuring the controller to;

classify the points of user contact into a holding pattern;

perform a self-orientation process based upon at least one of the acceleration value, the orientation value and the holding pattern to define a forward direction of user gestures, wherein the forward direction can be fixed along any angle with the apparatus;

determine if the user gesture is an absolute-type gesture or a relative-type gesture, wherein the relative-type gesture includes rotation of the apparatus.