Title

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACTIVATING ELECTRONIC DEVICES WITH GESTURES

Field

This invention relates generally to electronic devices and snore particularly to the activation of electronic devices.

Background

A gesture sensor is a human interface device that enables the detection of physical movement proximate to (but not touching) the device. The detected movement an he used, for example, as an input c mmand for the device or for other purposes, in some applications, the device is programmed to recognize distinct non-contact - hand motions, such as left-to- right. nght-to-Seft up-to-dovvn. down-io-up, and in-and-out hand -motions.

Generally speaking, gesture .recognition enables humans to interface with devices {sometimes known as -'Human Machine- interface ^' ' -or without touching ihe devices.

T here are many possible applications for HM I based upon gesture recognition. For example, sensors have found popular use in handheld devices, such as tablet computing devices and smarfphon.es, and other portable devices such as laptops. Gesture sensors are also being implemented in video game consoles to detect the motion of a video game player _*

Most conventional gesture sensor implementations use three or more iMununaooh sources, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), and a light sensor, such as a photodeteeior. Typically, the il lumination sources are turned on and off or flashed, in succession in order for the sensor to obtain spatial information from reflection of the flashed light.

Fig. I illustrates a simp lifted block diagram of a conventional gesture sensor apparatus. A photosensor 4 is positioned proximate light emi tting diodes LED i , LED 2, and LED 3. A control circuit 5 is programmed to successively turn on and off the LEDs 1 -3 and to analyze the resulting measurements sensed by the photosensor 4.

Fig, 2 illustrates an example method for detecting a moving target using the gesture sensor apparatus of Fig, I The motion is detected by observing the reiative delay between sensed signals from the same-axis LEDs. For example, to defect iefVto- right or right-to-left motion, the signals sensed by the LEDs I and 2 are compared. LED i is Hashed at a different time than LED 2. That is. the LEDs I and 2 are positioned in known locations and arc turned on and off in a known sequence. When the light, from the LEDs strikes a target moving above the LEDs, light, is reflected off die moving target back to the photosensor 4. The sensed reflected l ight is converted to a voltage, signal which is sent to the control circuit 5. The control circuit 5 includes an algorithm that uses the LED positions, the LED firing sequences, and the received sensed data to determine reiative movement of the target.

Fig. 2 shows, on the bottom left., the sensed voltage signals for the case of letLto- right motion, A sensed voltage signal is a voltage versus time curve. The curve labeled "Signal from LED shows the sensed voltage resulting _. from repeated flashes of the LED 1 . The low portion of the curve indicates the target is not passing over, or near, the L-ED L in other words, the target is not within the ^" field of view" of the photosensor 4 whereby light, emitted from the LED I can be reflected off the target and onto the photosensor 4. If the target i not within the field of view of the photosensor 4 as related to the LED L the photosensor 4 does not sense any reflections of light emitted from LED I . The high portion of the curve indicates the target is passing over, or near, the LED 1 . The curve labeled "Signal from LED 2" shows the sensed voltage resulting from repeated flashes of the LED 2. While ELD I is on, LED 2 is off, and vice versa. Whi le the target is positioned over, or near, LED E the sensed voltage related to flashing of LED I is high, but the sensed voltage related to flashing, of the LED 2 is low. Whi le the target is positioned in the middle, between the two LEDs I and 2, the photosensor 4 detects reflected l ight from flashing of both LED I and LED 1. While the target is positioned over, or near, LED 2, the sensed voltage related to Sashing of LED 2 is high, but the sensed voltage related to flashing of the LED 1 is Sow, When the target is not positioned over either LED I or LED 2 or between FED I and LED 2, the photosensor 4 does not sense reflected light associated with either and the corresponding sensed voltage levels are low. It wlH there fore he appreciated that for letl-to-right motion, the sensed voltage le el for "signal from LED Γ goes high before d e sens d voltage level for "signal from LED 2". as shown in Fig. 2. in other words, the voltage versus time curve of "signal from LED 2" h delayed relative to the voltage versus time curve of "signal from LED I " when the target is S moving from ieft o~rigi«. For righ.t~to~ieft motion, as illustrated on the bottom right portion of fug. 2, the sensed voltage level for "signal from LED 2" goes high before the sensed voltage level for "signal from LED 1 as shown in the two voltage versus lime curves on the left, hand sid of Fig. 2. in other words, the voltage versus time curve of "signal from LED I " is delayed relative to the voltag v rsus time curve of "signal from LED 2" when the target i S O moving from right-to- left.

Other motions can also be sensed with die apparatus of Fig. L for example, up and down motion, where up and down i considered to he motion in the y~axis, can be determined using LEDs 2 and 3 and the corresponding voltage versus time data. The control circuit 5 receives the sensed voltage from the photosensor 4 and determines relative target 15 motion in the y-axis in a similar manner as that described above in relation to the x-axis,

Λ number of portable devices can benefit from the inclusion of a gesture-based HML There are, for example, instances where it Is inconvenient , impractical or even illegal to handle a cellular telephone (a fc a " ^' cell phone' ^" , "mobile phone", ^" ¾martphone". etc.) such that a gesture-based HM! would he very useful. For example. In some states it is not legal to 0 hold a cell phone while driving, The same may apply to other portable devices with display screens, such as tablet computers, -OPS units and laptop computers. Collectively, these devices wil l be referred to as ^' 'portable digital devices/'

Portable digital devices are almost universally battery powered. Since it is typically the goal to extend batter life in such devices, variou battery-saving techniques are often 5 used. For ex mple, portable digital devices with display semens (e.g. smartphones, tablets, OPS units, laptops, etc. } can he put into sleep modes (where the display screen, is typically 'turned off) or other a low-power states by turning off the display screens a ter a period of inactivity to save power and extend battery l ife.

A lso, portable digital devices are prone to theft due to their small size and high value. 30 For that, reason, marr portable digital devices have m\ "autoloelT feature whereby a password or the like i required to unlock the device for use. For example, a user ma b required to enter a roulii-digit passeode on a touch-screen display to unlock the device.

Portable digital devices need to be awakened and/or unlocked i ^' generically referred to herein as ^' 'acti ated' ^' ) when a user wishes to interact with them again. For example, with a sraartphone this is typically accomplished by pressing a button, then sliding a slider bar to the right or left, and/or entering a code. All of these actions require physical contact, with the smartphone, and can be- inconvenient and/or dangerous tasks to be performed while, for example, driving a vehicle.

These and other limitations o t he prior art wi ll become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the followin ^' descriptions and a study of the several figures of the drawing.

Summary

Various examples are set forth herein for the purpose of illustrating various combinations of elements and acts within the scope of the disclosures ^' of the specification and drawings. As will be apparent to those of skill in the art, -other combinations of elements and acts, and variations thereof, are also supported herein.

An electronic device with gesture activation includes a body having at least one infrared (111) transmissive window, an I B. gesture detection sensor aligned with the transmissive window, a processor coupled to the gesture detection sensor and digital memory coupled to the processor. ^' The digital memory includes code segments executable on the processor for starting a timer if a first gesture of an activation gesture sequence including an ordered plurality of gestures is received while at least one process of the electronic device Is in. an inactive mode, and for activating the at least one process of the electronic device i the remainder of ordered pluralit of gestures is received before the timer has elapsed.

A method for activating an electronic device with gestures includes starting a timer if a first gesture of an activation gesture sequence includ ing an ordered plurality of gestures is received while at least one process of an electronic device is in an inactive mode, and activating the at least one process of the electronic device if the remainder of an ordered plurality of gestures is received before the timer has elapsed. The inactive mode can be, for example, a sleep mo e and/o a locked mode of a portable digital device such as a cell phone, smart phone, satellite phone, GPS unit, tablet computer or laptop computer.

An advantage of certain embodiments is that one or snore inactivated modes of an electronic device can be activated without touching the device. This feature is particular advantageous with respect to portable digital devices which should be used in a "hands free" mode whi le operating a motorized vehicle or under other hazardous conditions.

These and ^' ther examples of combinations of elements and ac ts supported herein as well as advantages thereof will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the following descriptions and a study of the several figures of the drawing.

Brief Desen ikm of Drawings

Several examples will now foe described with reference to the drawings, wherein like elements anchor acts are provided with like reference numerals; ^' The e amples are intended to illustrate, not limit, concepts disclosed herein. The drawings include the following figures:

Figure I is a simplified block diagram of a conventional gesture sensor apparatus;

Figure 2 illustrates an example method tor detecting a moving target using the gesture sensor apparatus of f ig. ;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of an example smartphone with a gesture recognition sensor;

Figure 4 is a block diagram of example CPU and related circuitry of the example smartphone of F ig. 1 ;

Figure 5 is a flow diagram, set .forth by way of example and not limitation of a process for gesture recognition which can be mplemented b an electronic device;

Figure 6 is a flow diagram, set. fe th by way of example and not limitation, of a more generalized process for gesture recognition; and

Figure 7 is a pseudocode listing of a process for gesture recognition as may he implemented by digital processor of a human interlace device. Description of Embodiments

Figs. I and 2 were described with respect to the prior art. Fig. 3 illustrates, ^' by way of example and not limitation, a gesture recognition system with op onal heart rate monitor system built into a smartphone .10. In this example, the smartphone 10 includes a body 12. an L D 14, a pbotodeteetor 1 6. a l ight sensor 1 8. a transnussive surface 20 (e.g. a glass or plastic surface) providing a window for an aligned gesture detection sensor 21. The example smartphone 1 further includes a touch-screen area.22 including a display screen, a speaker aperture 24, and a control button 26.

The light emitting diode (LED) 1 is a preferred example of a light emitting source, although other light emitting sources- may also be suitable in some applications. in a example embodiment, the LED 14 is an 1/R LED such that the light that t emits is generally not detectible by the human eye and the transmissive surface 20 is transparent, or at. least translucent to 1R. l ight. The pbotodeteetor 16 can be, for example, a photodiode, although other photodetecrors may also be suitable for some applications, fu an embodiment, set forth by way of example and not lim itation, LED 1 and pbotodeteetor 16 are aligned proximate to the transmissive surface 20 (which may be substantially planar), in this way, if a finger is place on the transmissive surface 2 over the LED 1 and the pbotodeteetor 16, | light from the LED 1 may reflect off of the finger to the pbotodeteetor 16 tor the monitoring of heart rate . I other embodiments, the heart rate monitor system (including, for example, LED 14 and pbotodeteetor 1 6 may be om itted, or the LED H and pbotodeteetor 1 6 may be used for other purposes.

Gesture detection sensor 1 , in this example embodiment, i positioned proximate to transmissive surface 20 for sensing hand gestures. As wi.ll be discussed in greater detail subsequently, these gestures can include a predetermined number and types of hand movements within the field of view of the gesture detection sensor 21 , It should be noted that actual physical contact with the smartphone 1 is not required such tha -certain functionality of the smartphone 10 or devices in communication with the smartphone 1.0 can be affected without having to physically contact She smartphone 10. The structures and uses of suitable gesture detection s nso s, such as gesture detection sensor 2 1 , are disclosed in USS 61 /483,034, tiled May 5, 20 ! I and in USSN 13/304,603. tiled November 25, 201 1,, both of which are incorporated b reference in their entirety. Preferably, the gesture detection senso 21, is responsive to l/R light, of die type generated by l/R. LEO 14, The use of l/R gesture detection sensors can be advantageous in that a visible light source is not required to detect hand gestures. Ot er gesture detection sensors are also suitable as will be appreciated by those of ordinary sk ll in the art.

Fig, 4 is a block diagram, set forth by way of example and not limitation, of circuitry 28 within the body 12 of smartphone 10. The circuitry includes a CPU 30, memory 32. a network interface 34, an antenna , interlace 36, a touch-screen Interface 38 and other input/output (I/O) circuitry 40, The other I/O circuitry 40 can include, tor example, an interface to a gesture detection apparatus, such as gesture detection sensor 2 I , T he antenna interface 36 provides radio frequency connectivity with external devices and/or networks. For example, the smartphone 10 can wirelessly communicate with he cellular network, with the internet (typically via a WsFi connection) or with other devices via Bluetooth.

The CPU 30 can be provided by several manufacturing sources, as will be appreciated b those of skill in the art, and the memory 32 can include both volatile and non-volatile digital memory (a/k/a computer readable media ^" ), both of which are capable of storing data and program code in a non-transient fashion (/><?. uot as a propagating electromagnetic waves). The CPU is alternatively referred to herein as a microprocessor, microcontroller, or simply processor, and is capable of executing instruction stored as code .segments in memory 32 or forms of non-transient computer readable media, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skid in the art,

A number of processes for gesture recognition will nuw be described, While these processes are described with respect to the activation of electronic devices, and more particularly portable digital devices with screens, it will be appreciated hy those of skill in the art that the processes have additional applications in human-machine interfaces. In the context of example portable digital devices, "activation" will mean unlocking and/or waking up pari or all of the functionality of the devices. In the context of other electronic devices, the gesture recognition processes can be used for alternate purposes. l ^:' ig. 5 h a flow diagram of an exam le process 42 for gesture recognition. Process 42 begins at 44, and an operation 46 determines if a 'left, swipe ^* is received. I f so, a timer is started in operation 48. Then, an operation 50 determines if a "right swipe ' has been received and the timer has not elapsed, i f so, an operation 52 determines if a "'left s i e" is received and the time*' has not elapsed. If so, a command 54 cart be given to the portable digital device (e g. smartphone), such as "wake" to wake it up. for xample, from a sleep slate, and the example process 43 ends at 55.

Fig. 6 is a flow diagram of an example process 56 for gesture recognition which begins at 58 in an inactive state or mode (e.g. asleep and/or locked). A counter k is initialized at operation 62 and It is determined if the k ⁱⁿ gesture gfk) is received at operation 64. If so, an operation 6S determines If the counter k is equal to erne. I f so, a timer is started by operation 70 to provide a "'timeout period" or "timeout window'" within which al l gestures must be received in order to create an .activation command. Next, operation 72 increments k and process control returns to operation 64. if, however, operation 68 determines that k is not equal to I , n operation 74 determines if the timer has elapsed U.e. if the process has exceeded the timeout period or window ), i f not, the counter k is incremented by operation 76· nd it Is determined if all of the gestures have been received in an operation 78. If so, the device is issued a- command, such as "wake up", in an operation 80, and the process 56 ends at 8 1 . I f operation 7$ determines that not all of the gestures have been received, process control is returned to operation 64. i f operation 64 determines thai gesture ,g(k) has not been received or if operation 74 determines thai there is a timeout because the timer has elapsed, the device is commanded to slay asleep at operation 66 and the process ends at 67.

A generalized expression of an example gesture recognition process is as follows. Let the k ^m gesture in a sequence, or tuple, be denoted by g¾. Λ n-fupie of arbitrary length would he written as S _un } _SK < _? ~ (g : , g2, g3 _> Clearly. S _ut j¾, _ck must be of finite length, and each gesture g¾ is preferably be well-defined. Preferably, there is also be a turnout window length, T<k>ti _? e _f For there to be an unlock action, the sequence S _Mn | _oc} 5 should he received within the window _j j _at{ > _cl to result in an activation command for the device. it should he noted that the expression of a gesture recognition sequence as an n-mple is very flexible. For example, a gesture can be defined as a series of simpler gestures detected within a certain period of time. A lso, the gesture recognition sequence can be easily changed or customized for a user who may have certain preferences or who w-ishes to have the additional security of for example, a custom unlock sequence. The n-tupie gesture recognition sequence therefore allows tor great flexibility,, customization and security of an electronic device.

Fig. 7 illustrates, using pseudocode, an example computer-implemented process 82 for gesture recognition. T he process 8.2 can- be implemented., or example, on CPU 30 using an application program, ^;4 app' ^* , utility, routine, etc, stored as Code segments In non-transitory computer readable media such as memory 32, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. This exam le process will be described in the context of unlocking a locked electronic de ice, it being understood that it is also applicable to unlocking a feature, waking a ^• "sleeping" device, activating pari or al l of a devices functionality, etc.

In the example of Fig. 7, it is assumed, as -precondition, that the device Is in a locked mode and a first gesture in a sequence is detected or '' eceived ^' The postcondition of process 82, in this example, is that the device is either unlocked or remains locked. The proces 82 is implemented as a routine detect unlock with parameters key sequence, received gesture and window length, if -detect unlock detects an unlock sequence the routine w ill return an indication of "success, ^" i f detect unlock does not timely detect an unlock sequence the routine will return an indication of ^' "Tail ^" ' Key sequence is the sequence of movements which correspond to an unlock sequence, received gesure is the most recently received gesture, and window length Is a timeout parameter {e.g. as measured in seconds aud- ^' or fractions of a second). If the rim received gesture (received gesture) is not equal to the first gesture of the unlock sequence ( key se uence[0j), then the device is not unlocked and a the process returns a "fail." i f, however, the first received gesture is the first gesture of an unlock sequence, a counter 'if is initial ized to I and a time tO is initialized to the current time.

Next, s do-loop is entered which wi ll continue until the first of a timeout

(current . timet ) > tO window-length) or until an unlock sequence is completed.

Current timet) in this example is a routine that returns the current time, a.g, from a real-time- clock, timer, etc. I n the do-ioop, a gesture is obtained by call ing a routine get a gesiuref ). The current gesture is then compared to the next gesture of the gesture sequence { ^' <?..¾.

key jsequenee[k|) and, if they are not the same, the device is not unlocked and the process returns a "tail." i f the gesture is the next gesture in the sequence, the counter k is incremented, and the do- op centimes. I f the do-loop terminates because of either a timeout or an. unlock sequence is completed, a second if statement determines whether it is the former or the latter, Th i is, if the unlock sequence had been completed rail gestures received") the routine will unlock the device and return a '"success/ ' Otherwise, the do-loop had timed out. and the device is not unlocked and the routine returns a ' ail."

Although various examples have been described using specific terms, processes and de ices, such description is for illustrative purposes only. The words used are words of description rather than of limitation. Also, as noted above, process for recognising gestures can be used in conjunction with a number of different types of devices and machines and is not limited to the examples set forth above, ft is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by those of ordinary skil ^' .in the art without departing f om the spirit or the scope of an examples described herein, i n addition, it should be understood that aspects of various other examples, may be interchanged either in whole or in part. It is therefore intended that the claims herein and hereafter presented be interpreted in accordance with their true spirit and scope and without limitation or estoppel

What is claimed is;