Systems, apparatuses and methods for controlling prosthetic devices by gestures and other modalities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10852835-B2
Application number	US-201715488500-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2017
Priority date	Apr 15, 2016
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

Systems and methods for manual gesture recognition to control prosthetic devices. Low encumbrance systems utilizing glove-based recognition to control prosthetic devices. Prosthetic control systems and methods are also provided utilizing elements for application on the user's fingernails.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a signal element configured to generate a signal, wherein the signal element comprises an LED;
a fingernail mount configured to secure the signal element on a fingernail of a finger of a user such that the signal element is facing the fingernail; and
a detection element configured to detect the signal generated by the signal element, wherein the detection element comprises a light detector;
wherein the detection element comprises a circuit configured to determine that the user has performed a gesture based on detecting light from the LED passing through both the fingernail and the finger of the user in response to movement of the LED; and
wherein the circuit of the detection element is configured to determine, based on detecting the signal generated by the signal element, that the user has performed a pinch gesture using two or more fingers of the user.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the detection element is further configured to detect a characteristic of the signal, the characteristic of the signal indicative of a characteristic of the gesture.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the characteristic of the signal comprises at least one of: a frequency; a color; an RFID tag ID; a signal intensity, strength, or amplitude, or change therein; a timing thereof; a resonant frequency of a circuit transmitting or generating the signal; and a frequency or pulse pattern.

4. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the characteristic of the gesture comprises at least one of: a particular finger or fingers used; a particular position of one or more fingers; a particular grasp pattern or pose of one or more fingers; a particular movement performed by one or more fingers; and a state of contact or non-contact of one or more fingers with another one or more fingers or with another part of the hand.

5. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to control a prosthetic device based on the signal detected by the detection element.

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the control of the prosthetic device causes the prosthetic device to perform an action or a movement corresponding to the gesture.

Assignees

• Univ Texas

Inventors

• Yetkin Oguz
• Sanford Joseph D
• Popa Dan O
• Wallace Lena C
• Mirza Fahad
• Karulkar Roopak
• Das Sumit Kumar
• Baptist Joshua R
• Carpenter J Paul

Classifications

• G06F3/015

  Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection · CPC title

• A61F2/72 Primary

  Bioelectric control, e.g. myoelectric · CPC title

• A61F2/583

  Hands; Wrist joints · CPC title

• G06F3/014

  Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves · CPC title

• A61F2002/707

  Remote control · CPC title