Wearable Inertial Sensor System for Gesture-Based Input
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current human-computer interaction methods, such as Qwerty keyboards and touch screens, lack efficiency and precision in interpreting hand motions for inputting symbols and gestures, especially in environments where traditional interfaces are impractical.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising accelerometers and magnetometers attached to a ring band on the thumb and a wrist band, which process acceleration and magnetic flux measurements to detect taps and determine the orientation of the thumb relative to the wrist, allowing for the identification of tap targets on the fingers and mapping them to symbols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional interfaces like Qwerty keyboards and touch screens are used, then ease of operation is maintained, but productivity and precision in interpreting hand motions deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical keyboards and touch screens with an inertial sensor-based system. Accelerometers and magnetometers worn on the body capture hand motion dynamics, substituting physical key presses or touch interactions with motion-based input. This enables higher productivity through natural gestures while maintaining ease of operation through intuitive body movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces wearable inertial sensors as an intermediary between the user and the computing device. These sensors worn on the hand or body act as a mediator that captures hand motion characteristics and translates them into digital commands, bridging the gap between natural hand movements and computer input without requiring traditional interfaces.
2Measurement precision
If accelerometers and magnetometers are attached to multiple body parts, then measurement precision of hand gestures improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sensing system into multiple independent sensor units worn on different body parts (e.g., accelerometers on fingers, magnetometers on wrist). Each sensor unit independently captures local motion characteristics, and the system processes these segmented measurements to achieve high-precision gesture recognition. This segmentation allows precise measurement while keeping individual sensor units simple and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs multi-functional sensor units that can detect various types of motions and orientations using the same hardware components. The accelerometers and magnetometers serve multiple purposes: detecting taps, determining hand orientation, tracking gesture trajectories, and identifying gesture types. This universality reduces the need for specialized sensors for each function, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high measurement precision.
3Reliability
If multiple sensors are used to detect hand gestures, then reliability of gesture detection improves, but loss of time in processing measurements increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary processing of sensor measurements by capturing and pre-processing motion data at the source (wearable sensors). Basic filtering, normalization, and feature extraction are performed on the device side before transmission, reducing the computational burden on the computing device and minimizing processing time while maintaining reliable gesture detection through multi-sensor data fusion.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables reliable and precise detection and classification of hand gestures for controlling computing devices without the need for visual feedback, allowing users to input symbols and manipulate cursors in virtual spaces with high accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
a first accelerometer... a second accelerometer... receive acceleration measurements from the first accelerometer and the second accelerometer
Implementation Method 2
receive magnetic flux measurements from the first magnetometer and the second magnetometer
Data Source
AI summary
Computing interface systems and methods are disclosed. Some implementations include a first accelerometer attached to a first fastening article that is capable of holding the first accelerometer in place on a portion of a thumb of a user. Some implementations may also include a second accelerometer attached to a second fastening article that is capable of holding the second accelerometer in place on a portion of a wrist of a user. Some implementations may additionally or alternatively include magnetometers and/or gyroscopes attached to the first and second fastening articles. Some implementations may also include a processing device configured to receive measurements from the accelerometers, magnetometers, and/or gyroscopes and identify, based on the measurements, symbols associated with motions of a user's hand and/or the orientation of the hand. Some implementations may allow a user to control a cursor in a three dimensional virtual space and interact with objects in that space.