Education and demonstration – Psychology
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-15
2001-06-12
Cheng, Joe H. (Department: 3713)
Education and demonstration
Psychology
C434S258000, C434S365000, C379S110010, C379S368000, C455S095000, C455S557000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244873
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of user interfaces for portable electronic devices, as well as to the field of wireless myoelectric control.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable electronic devices have become increasingly popular. These devices can operate with the use of a small battery pack or battery cells. Examples of these devices include wireless or cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and audio or music delivery devices. Some devices have become increasingly small such that they are now deemed “pocketable” and/or “wearable.”
A portable electronic device typically has a user interface for operative control. Most if not all conventional user interfaces for such portable electronic devices employ physical buttons, stylus, or voice control. In some devices, a large number of operations or functions are possible with the user interface.
One major shortcoming of a button or stylus-based user interface is that the user must physically retrieve and position the portable electronic device appropriately for physical contact therewith. In addition, as the size of a device becomes smaller, the interface becomes increasingly inappropriate from an ergonomic standpoint. The major shortcoming of a voice-controlled interface is that the user must speak openly in such a way that other nearby people may hear.
Myoelectric technologies are known and have been used for control in some applications. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,716, a head band with electrodes is used to generate signals for wired control of visual displays in a television display game. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,051, electromyographic sensors are placed on the back of a user's hand to provide for the realistic “squeezing of objects” in a virtual reality application. U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,102 discloses orthotic and prosthetic devices which are controlled with myoswitches in connection with wireless communication. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,004, a body suit has myoelectric sensors for contact with an arm, where the signals therefrom are broadcasted to a remote station for comparison of teacher and student motions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,417 describes the combined use of EEG and EMG signals to produce control signals for electronic musical instruments and video games. None of these patents describes a wireless myoelectric apparatus for operative control of a portable electronic device with a relatively large number of clearly discernible human commands.
Accordingly, there is an existing need to provide a convenient and easy-to-use user interface for small portable electronic devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As described herein, the inventive methods and apparatus involve the use of myoelectric and wireless technology for the control of a portable electronic device. That is, the inventive portable electronic device has a wireless myoelectric user interface.
In one aspect of the invention, the apparatus comprises a material which forms a band, myoelectric sensors attached to the band, a digital processor coupled to the myoelectric sensors, and a wireless transmitter coupled to the digital processor. The band is sized and configured to fit around a human forearm or wrist. In general, the apparatus is operative to sense and detect particular hand and/or finger gestures, and to broadcast control signals corresponding to the gestures for operative control of the portable electronic device.
The apparatus may employ a method of receiving and digitizing signals from the myoelectric sensors, determining whether a correlation exists between the digitized signal data and one of a plurality of prestored gesture patterns, selecting and generating a control signal or message associated with the prestored gesture pattern when a correlation exists, and modulating and transmitting a radio frequency (RF) signal with the control signal for control of the portable electronic device.
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Hill William Colyer
Pereira Fernando Carlos
Singer Yoram
Terveen Loren Gilbert
AT&T Corp.
Cheng Joe H.
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