The present invention relates to the field of computer cursor control and more specifically to object movement detection utilized to provide input to an electronic device, wherein the object is movable by movement of the human body.
Currently, computer mice, trackpads and rollerballs are used in conjunction with a computer allowing the individual to manipulate a cursor on the computers screen by movement of the device or movement of the fingers along a surface. These devices detect two-dimensional motion relative to a surface and relay the analysis to a cursor on a computers display. This allows the user to navigate a graphical user interface of the computer. A plurality of buttons may be positioned on the mouse or trackpad allowing the user to select files, programs, or actions.
A few variants of mice currently exist. Mechanical mice comprise a ball disposed within a body, wherein the movements of the ball are recorded according to how the ball moves rollers. Rollers positioned on an x- and y-axis grip the ball and transfer movement that is detected mechanical components or infrared LED's. Sensors gather light pulses and convert the data into x and y vectors on the display. This style of mouse was popular into the early 2000's when newer technology was developed.
One inherent problem with mechanical mice was their propensity to become jammed. It was common for the rubber track ball to pick up debris that would then be deposited into the body of the mouse. Optical mice were created as a remedy to these problems. The new design used LED's and an image sensor (such as CMOS or CCD) to detect movement of the mouse relative to the underlying surface.
A trackpad is a pointing device featuring a tactile sensor, a specialized surface that can translate movement by the motion and position of a user's fingers to a relative position on the operating system that is outputted to the screen. Trackpads are a common feature of laptop computers, and are also used as a substitute for a mouse where desk space is scarce. Because they vary in size, they can also be found on personal digital assistants (PDAs' and some portable media players. Wireless touchpads are also available as detached accessories.
Trackpads operate in one of several ways, including capacitive sensing and resistive touchscreen. The most common technology uses entails sensing the capacitive virtual ground effect of a finger, or the capacitance between sensors. Capacitance-based trackpads will not sense the tip of a pencil or other similar implement. Gloved fingers may also be problematic.
For common use as a pointer device, the dragging motion of a finger is translated into a finer, relative motion of the cursor on the output to the display on the operating system, analogous to the handling of a mouse that is lifted and put back on a surface. Hardware buttons equivalent to a standard mouse's left and right buttons are positioned below, above, or beside the trackpads.
Some trackpads may interpret tapping the pad as a click, and a tap followed by a continuous pointing motion (a “click-and-a-half”) can indicate dragging. Tactile trackpads allow for clicking and dragging by incorporating button functionality into the surface of the touchpad itself. To select, one presses down on the trackpad instead of a physical button. To drag, instead performing the “click-and-a-half” technique, one presses down while on the object, drags without releasing pressure and lets go when done. Trackpad drivers can also allow the use of multiple fingers to facilitate the other mouse buttons (commonly two-finger tapping for the center button).
Some trackpads have “hotspots”, locations on the touchpad used for functionality beyond a mouse. For example, on certain trackpads, moving the finger along an edge of the touch pad will act as a scroll wheel, controlling the scrollbar and scrolling the window that has the focus vertically or horizontally. Many trackpads use two-finger dragging for scrolling. Also, some trackpad drivers support tap zones, regions where a tap will execute a function, for example, pausing a media player or launching an application. All of these functions are implemented in the trackpad device driver software, and can be disabled.
While current technology allows the user to exhibit precise screen dexterity, standard mice, trackpads and trackballs contribute to a sedentary lifestyle that is plaguing society with numerous long-term health problems. Being overweight with a lack of exercise leads to chronic pain and shortened lives. Further, the fine motor movements required to provide input to the computer create chronic conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Video games are controlled by customized controllers having numerous buttons, control joysticks and motion sensors. The motions that the players' hands must go through may produce overuse injuries such as tennis elbow or carpal tunnel syndrome. Video games also encourage a sedentary lifestyle due to the manner in which users interact with the consoles, which contributes to overweight children. Some video games are controlled by movement of the user's body, such as Microsoft™ Kinect, which helps with user fitness, but is limited in interaction, and does not lend itself to sophisticated input such as a controller might provide.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a computer integrated cursor manipulation system that analyzes users body movement by movement of a support and transmits the movement to an electronic device, to provide pointing information to a computer or video game input, without motor movement that is hazardous to a user's health.
An electronic input device is disclosed having an orientation monitor, and a support in contact with a user, wherein the orientation monitor monitors a movement of the support, wherein the movement of the support is determined by the user, and wherein the movement of the support is communicated to an electronic device to provide user input of the electronic device.
The orientation monitor may be in communication with a biasing mechanism that biases the orientation monitor towards the support. The optical transmitter may be configured to transmit a signal to the support, and the optical receiver is configured to receive a reflection of the signal from the support, and wherein a movement of the support is determined by comparing the signals received by the optical receiver.
The optical transmitter or orientation monitor may be part of a gaming system. The orientation monitor may have one or more accelerometers to provide movement information over one or more axes.
In another embodiment, the electronic input device has an orientation monitor comprising a camera having a lens, wherein the lens is configured to focus on the support, and a support in contact with a user having a pattern thereon, wherein the orientation monitor monitors a movement of the support by observation of the pattern, wherein the movement of the support is determined by the user, and wherein the movement of the support manipulates a graphical user interface.
The pattern may involve a pattern image positioned on the support. There may also be a light source, wherein the light source emits light onto the support and optionally onto the user. The device may also have a plurality of rollers supporting the support, wherein the orientation monitor is positioned below the support and monitors a position of the support, and the support rotates in a fixed position on the rollers.
The orientation monitor may be defined by a plurality of rollers, and the support may be in contact with the plurality of rollers. The device may have a pressure sensor, wherein the pressure sensor manipulates the graphical user interface.
A method of providing input to an electronic device is disclosed, having the steps of a user sitting on a support, a user moving the support, an optical sensor receiving an image from the surface of the support, the optical sensor monitoring the surface of the support, a processor determining the trends of the optical signals, and the processor sending a signal determination to the electronic device.
The additional step of the optical sensor transmitting a signal against the surface of the support may also be present, and an additional step may be the user tapping the support to produce a mouse click.
The foregoing, and other features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, the accompanying drawings, and the claims.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the objects and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the ensuing descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings briefly described as follows.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention and their advantages may be understood by referring to
In general, the following invention related to an input device for computer systems, wherein the user engages with a support and moves the support to provide input to the computer system, wherein the system interprets the movements and wherein the input may be used by the computer to operate a cursor or to provide gaming controls, for example.
In reference to
See an example detail view of
As another embodiment,
Although the system may include a light source transmitter or RF signal transmitter in order to determine the movement of the support, alternatively it may be able to use simply ambient room light, such as a camera 15 containing a receiver for the optical signal therein, such that the system would not need to transmit any signal to the support. This is most feasible in the embodiment of
In an embodiment shown in
In an embodiment, with reference to
In an embodiment, as the user rolls the support 5, the optical monitor 8 or 15 receives optical data through an active-pixel sensor (APS) (not shown) within the receiver, such as a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS). With reference to
In an embodiment, the monitor 15 is in communication with a material or a surface 20 on the support 5. The material or surface 20 may contain a pattern 21 such as reference lines, texture, or other reference materials to aid in motion detection by the monitor 15, such that light (either ambient room light or supplemental light source 13 illuminates the surface 20 and the sensor receives an image that can be used to determine the surface movement and thus the support 5 movement. In an embodiment, a pattern 21 of light is projected onto the support surface 20 and the camera 15 measures distortion of the pattern; in another embodiment there is texture 21 on the support 5 and the receiver 10 monitors the movement of the pattern/texture to determine bounce, or user movement. Patterns may use different colors for easier detection of relevant pattern movement, and optical sensors may use optical filters to filter out light other than the relevant pattern to make image processing easier.
In reference to
In another embodiment, the position-monitoring device 15 may comprise a plurality of sensors within the support 5, such as accelerometers arranged with perpendicular sensing axes, to determine when the support 5 is rolled forward or backward, as opposed to side to side. A movement sensor may also be present to determine a click, created by a tap or bounce by the user on the support 5. In order to maintain calibration and a sense of which way is down, a gravitation sensor (similar to an accelerometer) may be present to determine when the support 5 is centered.
With reference to
In use, the position-monitor 8 or camera 15 captures sequential frames of image data that correspond to movement of the support 5, and therefore of the user 1. An electronic image processor, which may comprise an FPGA, an ASIC, a processor or otherwise 34, wherein some or all of the processing could be in the device as shown in
In an embodiment, the position-monitor 8 or camera 15 utilizes one or more algorithms to determine the position or velocity of the support, user, or other objects in order to transmit data to the graphical user interface of the computer 2. The algorithm may filter out sudden movements and unintended movements that are either preprogrammed or learned by the device, for example when a repeated unintended movement makes the cursor move, and the user repeatedly corrects in the same way. In an embodiment, the algorithms may be carried out in whole or in part on the computer to which the input device is connected. Algorithms may include computing either relative movement or absolute movement by using modern optical flow algorithms to determine motion direction and distance. Other algorithms could include simply looking at the support pattern 21 or outline of support 5 from the sensor edges and calculating the location based on the pattern or outline within the sensors field of view to determine x and y position. With reference to
In a preferred embodiment, the user manually programs command settings and interpretation. For example, a sudden change of the support's profile, such as when pressure is applied to the support, may result in the cursor selecting, zooming in or out, changing the window, or other manipulations known in the art in respect to the graphical user interface. In an embodiment, a microphone is positioned within the support to detect if a user taps on the support 5, which would signal a user input like a button press. Haptic feedback through the support 5 may also be useful to confirm user input, and to this end a vibratory device 42 in
With reference to
Algorithms associated with transmitted data to and from the device or position-monitoring system can be performed within the system or by the computer to which it is attached.
In an embodiment, specific locations on the support and user are utilized for specific and independent functions in the graphical user interface. For example; hands and joints of a user, and edges of the device, are used to augment specific functions within the graphical user interface.
In reference to
In an embodiment, one or more pressure sensors (combined with 8) are positioned under the device to monitor movement of the support 5 and determine if a pressure-based “click” is provided by the user 1. Pressure sensors may be used in addition to or in lieu of rollers 25, or other rotation sensing devices. In an embodiment, the pressure sensor detects abrupt changes in total pressure. These changes are transmitted to the computer 2 for augmentation within the graphical user interface. Pressure sensing or contact sensing under the support such as with a pressure sensitive or contact sensing mat may also be used to detect movement of the support and translated into X and Y coordinates.
In an embodiment, the system comprises one or more pressure sensors and/or accelerometers to detect movement by the user. For example, pressure sensors can be integrated into the surface of the medicine ball embodiment, such that as the ball is rotated, changes in the location and vector of forces on the ball are transmitted to the computer.
In an embodiment, an accelerometer 40 is disposed within the device (See
With reference to
For example, the support 5 may have a microphone therein, and a ‘tap’ or thump sound from the microphone so the user can rest their hands down near the ball. Detecting things like the user rolling their shoulders (which is healthy too) to signify a mouse click would give the user the benefit of shoulder movement in addition to core strengthening and movement. A button on the side of the ball/object may be touched or tapped, or a glove or other appendage mounted on the user's hand or finger would permit tapping to signify a mouse click, for example. See
This invention does require some level of body core movement that is carefully controlled for precise positioning on the electronic device. One effect is that it motivates the user to use core muscles for this motor movement, which should be healthier than traditional mousing that results generally in over-exercising muscles in the hands or arms/shoulders without providing any core workout.
Electronic devices that the input device could interface with may include computers, smartphones, tables, game consoles, and other devices that require user input for moving a mouse or a character on-screen, or anything that could be translated from user movement into meaningful input in an electronic device. Other input methods may be buttons on or near the support 5, a keyboard on or near the support, microphones on the support, pressure sensors on the support. The movement of the support 5 is monitored so as to provide input if the user moves the support, bounces on it, provide vibration or taps it, or sudden movements. The input device may also provide feedback such as haptic feedback on or in the support, lights on or in the support, or sound on or in the support.
The user input device may be adjusted for sensitivity of user movement, and the user can specify that more or less movement be required for a given mouse movement on-screen. This gives the user control over how much exercise he or she is given by moving the support. Multiple input devices may be used to provide input to the computer, each device having independent sensitivity control, allowing the user to disable the input device momentarily and use another input means such as a mouse or pointer. Interface to the computer may be through wired means or wireless means, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
The invention has been described herein using specific embodiments for the purposes of illustration only. It will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, however, that the principles of the invention can be embodied in other ways. Therefore, the invention should not be regarded as being limited in scope to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but instead as being fully commensurate in scope with the following claims.